


The Devil's Puppet

by Banana_Rainbow



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Adult Dipper Pines, Adult Mabel Pines, Demon Deals, Demonic Possession, Family, Family Member Death, Human Bill Cipher, M/M, Murder, Possessive Behavior, Weirdmageddon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-09-19 04:25:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9418685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Banana_Rainbow/pseuds/Banana_Rainbow
Summary: Dipper and Mabel are turning twenty-one soon, and - in honor of the milestone - they've decided to officially move to Gravity Falls. Everything was supposed to be perfect. They were finally going to be in the place where they knew they fit in with the people they loved most in the world. But things didn't go as planned. When nightmares of a certain demon begin to haunt Dipper, he finds himself falling over the edge and down a road of no return, where his worst fears become reality.Here's a hint: Bill wants vengeance... and sex.





	1. Return to Gravity Falls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rinkashin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinkashin/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Obsessed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8221163) by [Rinkashin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinkashin/pseuds/Rinkashin). 



> A/N: I am not okay in the head. Since you're reading this, you are also not okay in the head. Things will get very bad very fast. Be warned. Don't like? Don't read. Simple as that.
> 
> >This story idea came to me after reading "Obsessed" by Rinkashin. That was the first Bill/Dipper fan-fiction that I'd read, multiple chapters and everything, and it was freaking amazing. Big shout out to Rinkashin for writing that masterpiece. You're amazing.

>   
> 
> "When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person that walked in. That's what the storm is all about."
> 
> -Haruki Murakami
> 
>  

Gravity Falls is where it all began for Mabel and I. It was where we'd met Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford and had the best summer of our lives - not counting the ones that followed, of course. It was the place we'd faced near death and battled against a hoard of demons for the sake of saving our friends and family. Gravity Falls was our home away from home.

So when Mabel and I decided to move out from our parent's house and start anew, there was no question as to where we would move to. It _had_ to be Gravity Falls. After all, it was the only place for a couple of twin weirdos like us. The place was a weird town full of weird people that attracted weird things and literally had an apocalypse named Weirdmageddon. Yup, it was definitely the only place for us.

* * *

"Dipper, Mabel, we'll miss you very much. Remember to write to us as often as possible and come home to visit us whenever you get a chance." Mom said, smothering me with kisses on my cheek and refusing to let go of me. 

"For the hundredth time, mom, _I know_. We will. Just let go of me already." I complained as I tried to pry her off of me without success. The woman was a lot stronger than she looked. 

"Now, Dipper, you know that your mother is only worried about you two." Dad interjected, like always, and I shot a glare in his direction. He took it with a smile, like always.

Sighing deeply, my mom finally released her grip on me with a sad smile. I didn't say it often, so I knew I should. With a smile, I looked her in the eyes and whispered, "I love you, mom." It was low enough so that only she could hear, and she returned it with the same volume, "I love you, too, Mason."

Mason. She hadn't called me by my actual name in a long time, so it was a bit nostalgic hearing it in the moment I was about to leave home for good. 

"Take good care of each you, you hear me? Make sure you eat healthy meals everyday and remember to brush your teeth before bed. Also, always wash behind your ears when you take a shower, especially you, Dipper." Mom lectured, and Mabel elbowed my side with a giggle. 

"Mom, we're twenty-years-old, turning twenty-one at the end of the summer. I'm sure we can take care of ourselves just fine." I grumbled, and my mom narrowed her eyes at me.

"You could be turning fifty-one, and I'd still be telling you exactly what I'm telling you now. No matter how old you get, you'll always be my babies." She argued. Defiant to the end.

"Okay, well, everyone is expecting us, so we should really head out now." I insisted, trying to get my sister and I out of there before our mom got all sappy and teary-eyed on us. If that happened, we'd all be standing there for at least another hour. That would have been terrible since everyone really was waiting for us.

I was afraid that eventually Grunkle Stan would get tired of waiting outside and just break into our new house. I knew I should have left them a copy of the key, so I wouldn't arrive to a broken window or something. That's exactly the way Grunkle Stan was.

"Alright, alright. You guys can go now. I love you, Mabel. I love you, Dipper." Mom said while pulling us in for yet another bone-breaking hug.

"I love you, too!" Mabel screamed, making my ears bleed in the process.

"Yea, yea. Let's just go already." I mumbled, trying to sound annoyed. It worked, for the most part. But moms and twins had that special way of looking right through you, so the two tightened their hold on me. 

 _How annoying_.

Groaning, I squirmed my way out of their iron grip and walked off to the car before it got anymore mushy. Thinking back on it now, I wish I had hugged them longer. I should have told them that I loved them as many times as possible and did my best to express that love. I didn't though. I was so caught up in trying to keep it together and be the non-emotional cool guy that I wasn't meant to be. I tried too hard to be someone I wasn't. That was my problem. I loved my family. I loved my friends. I loved mystery and adventure and being a child. I just didn't know how to show that while also trying to be someone that people would respect and look up to. 

Finally finished saying goodbye, Mabel slid into the passenger seat of the car and flashed me a reassuring smile. Everything was going to be okay. She always had a way of making me feel like me, even when I didn't want to. It was one of the perks of having a twin. 

"Can I drive?" Mabel asked, and I rolled my eyes. 

Mabel couldn't drive. It's not that I didn't want her to drive; rather, she really couldn't freaking drive. She'd failed her written test so many times that she'd eventually sent me in, dressed like her, to take it for her - which is totally illegal, by the way. Still, I did it because I loved her, but it didn't matter. The girl was impossible to teach. I tried; our parents tried; our grunkles tried. Heck, even Wendy tried. No one could teach her how to drive. We'd all have better luck teaching Waddles to drive. So she failed her behind-the-wheel test all three times. It was hopeless. If anyone ever willingly let Mabel drive their car, their goal was a double-suicide. Or murder-suicide since Mabel didn't realize how bad she was, even after she'd somehow had the car hanging half-way off a cliff. That was a terrible day for everyone. 

"No, Mabel. You can't drive." I answered, and she pouted as she always did before reaching back to retrieve the sleeping pig in the backseat. 

"Did you hear that, Waddles? Dipper won't let me drive because Dipper is a jerk." Mabel grumbled. Ignoring her, I started up the car and headed for Gravity Falls.

***

When Mabel gets upset, she stays upset. For the entire car ride, she complained to Waddles about how inconsiderate and stingy I was. Though, she stopped every now and again to sing along loudly to the radio or ask the ever annoying question of, "Are we there yet?" I was sure we wouldn't make it considering my growing desire to just wack my sister over the head and ditch her on the side of the rode. To add insult to injury, I'd probably even keep Waddles along with me for the rest of the ride because he was a lot better company than my pestering twin. 

You could imagine my relief when we finally made it to Gravity Falls and were greeted by familiar, smiling faces. It was good to be back, back to the place where we truly belonged. I couldn't wait to see Grunkle Ford and Grunkle Stan, even Soos, Melody and Wendy. Sure, I was completely, one hundred percent over the redheaded girl, but she'd become my best friend over time. 

"Are we there yet?" Mabel asked, and my jaw tightened. _Is she freaking serious?_

"Mabel, you literally just waved at Lazy Susan and Old Man McGucket two freaking minutes ago. What the weird do you mean by, 'Are we there yet?' Of course, we're here!" I yelled, finally losing what little patience I had left with my twin.

"Chill, bro-bro." Mabel laughed, kicking her feet and hugging her pet pig tightly as she tossed her head back against the seat. She was crazy, definitely crazy. Frowning, I tuned her out and focused on getting us to our new home. 

Earlier that year, Mabel and I had saved up enough money - with some help from our grunkles - to finally buy a space of land on Gravity Falls. On that part of land, we had some lumber workers and construction workers build the home that Grunkle Ford and I had designed together. It was a four bedroom, three story house with both an attic and cellar. It was perfect and made to fit Mabel and I both. While the cellar was meant to be my own personal lab, the attic was Mabel's design room. 

Driving up to the house, I let out a huge sigh of relief when I saw that Grunkle Stan had somehow kept himself from breaking in. That, by itself, was amazing. Parking the car, Mabel and I both immediately jumped out and ran toward our friends and family, enveloping them all into a group hug. Sure, we'd only seen each other two months prior when we'd come to finish up the last bit of the house, but we'd still missed them. To be honest, being away from Gravity Falls was harder than being away from our parents.

"Dipper, Mabel! We've missed you, dudes!" Soos exclaimed as we all pulled apart, and I flashed him a smile. He was as big and silly as ever, especially with that dumb hat on his head, the signature hat that belonged to the owner of the Mystery Shack. 

"We've missed you, too. We've missed all of you so much. Ah, this is all so exciting!" Mabel squealed as she turned to Candy and Grenda, who happily squealed along with her. Shaking my head, I looked over our gathered group of friends and frowned when I noticed two people were missing. Wendy had already informed me beforehand that she might arrive late and only be able to see me for a few minutes. The other person, however, said nothing about not being present for our arrival. Noticing my distress, Mabel scanned around and asked the question for me. "Where's Grunkle Ford?" 

Grunkle Ford was a mystery on his own, especially since he had thirty years of unknown history that he refused to talk about. It bothered me that he couldn't trust me with what he'd seen during those years of his life. He called it the "blank period", a time that deserved to neither be recorded or repeated. Sure, I should have respected that there were some things that people needed to keep to themselves, but this was different. This was mystery and science and weird all mixed into one. I _needed_ to know. I deserved to know, especially since I'd accepted the position as his apprentice. We'd started off just working together during the summer until I had fully moved to Gravity Falls.

"He's, uh, tied up with some stuff." Grunkle Stan informed us, and I immediately narrowed my eyes.

"What kind of stuff? Is there something I should know about, considering I'm his apprentice?" I questioned, folding my arms across my chest. 

"Listen, kid, Ford does his own thing and doesn't always tell me. All I know is that he said he was sorry that he couldn't make it to welcome you home and that he'll make it up to you both when he can. Aside from that, I know about as much as you do: nothing." My Grunkle said, raising his hands in defense. 

"Aw, c'mon, Dipper! I'm sure Grunkle Ford just got caught up in some loony science stuff like he always does. Don't worry about it." Mabel tried to reassure, but that only made me feel worse. I was supposed to be involved in all of the loony science stuff he did. That was just our thing like when Mabel and I had the "mystery twins" thing going on. 

"Dipper!" A familiar voice shouted, and I turned just as Wendy arrived, jumping out of her old, burgundy pick-up truck and rushing toward us.

"Wendy!" I exclaimed with equal excitement, forgetting all about what I was angry about as I rushed to meet her half way. The two of us met in a half-hug/half-tackle. We swayed in each other's arms for a while, laughing as we tried to catch our balance. Wendy hadn't changed a bit in the passed eight years since Weirdmageddon. She was still her crazy, bad-ass tomboy self that I'd used to crush on her about. Since the crush had vanished, I kind of turned to idolizing her as a role model. I wanted to be as quick and kick-ass as her, but it was hard with my nerdy brain working on overdrive, taking time away from working out and attempting to gain muscle. At least running away from crazy stuff all the time helped make up for that in some way. My calf muscles were amazing. Though Wendy was definitely buffer than I was and a lot more toned, our body mass wasn't far apart since I was taller than her.

_I love being taller than people._

No more "Little Dipper" jokes for me, asshat. I was Big Dipper now. Okay, that was terrible. Let's pretend I never said that. 

"It's so good to see you again, Dipper. What took you so long to move everything here?" Wendy questioned, punching me in the arm with a laugh. _Ouch._  

"Sorry about that. We had a couple of unfinished business to take care of back in California. The important part is that we're here now." I reminded her with a smile, trying - with difficulty - to ignore the sting on my arm. Jeez, she was strong.

"Listen, I've gotta head back to work, but we should definitely hang out tomorrow. You guys should start settling in before it gets too late." She suggested, and I frowned as I remembered the boxes and bags of stuff we had packed inside the car. Grunkle Stan was obviously going to be of no use to us, so it was up to Mabel, Grenda, Soos, Melody, and I to move everything and start unpacking. Candy didn't count since I wasn't all to sure what she could carry with her flimsy, little arms. To be honest, Candy really hadn't grown all too much over the passed eight years. It was kind of adorable how tiny she was. Though, I would never tell her that. We didn't need an incident like the last time I'd complimented her.

"Yea, you've got a point. Well, thanks for stopping by Wendy. You at least made the effort to come, unlike a certain someone." I half growled, flashing a glare at Grunkle Stan, who quickly moved out of my line of sight. 

"Of course I'd come, Dipper. You're my best bud, remember? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't come to welcome you home?" Wendy said, pulling me into a one-armed hug with a giant grin on her face. Yup, she was definitely my best girl friend. Of course, I meant that as in friend who is a girl and not a girl who is more than a friend because we're definitely not more than friends. Nope, not a chance. Friends. Just friends. I'll shut up now.

"Thanks, Wendy. See you tomorrow?" 

"Of course! I'll ask for the day off A.S.A.P. just for you!" With that, Wendy and I gave each other another bear hug, and she was on her way. I'll admit that I was sad to see her go, but she was right about the whole unpacking thing. All the big furniture had already been moved into the house, but Mabel and I had a lot of little things to bring along as well. 

Turning to the group, I assigned each of them - except Grunkle Stan - boxes to take into the house. Candy, wanting to assist, took in the smaller boxes and a few bags. Soos, Grenda, and I focused on the big packages. Melody took in all the fragile items since she was the only one I trusted with that stuff. Mabel just helped where she could while Grunkle Stan sat on the porch and cheered us on like some kind of old, greasy male cheerleader. _Lazy bum._  We hadn't officially moved in yet, and he was already making himself at home. How could I expect anything less from Stanley Pines? 

Moving everything out of the car and into the house, unpacking it all, and putting everything in its place took a lot longer than we'd expected. By the time we'd finished up with everything, night had fallen. Candy and Grenda were the first to leave, but not before wishing Mabel the best on her first night in her new home. After that, Soos and Melody left, apologizing that they had to leave before we could finish up everything - Abuelita was apparently expecting them home for some _albondigas_. The only one to stay behind with us was the ever useless Stan Pines, who was knocked out on the couch with a half empty beer can in his hand.

_That lazy son of a-_

"We should probably hit the hay, bro-bro?" Mabel suggested, followed by a yawn. Smiling, I ruffled my sister's hair and took one last look around. Somehow we'd managed to finish unpacking everything. Tomorrow would have to consist of cleaning up, sadly.

"Yea, let's go to bed." I agreed with a sigh. I wasn't looking forward to cleaning everything up, but I was happy that I had hang-out plans with Wendy to look forward to. 

Mabel didn't wait for me to wish her goodnight before she ran off to her room with a sleeping Waddles in her arms. I couldn't really blame her though. I was also exhausted after everything we did, from the long drive to unpacking all our stuff. Sure, it was nice to finally be in our own home, but it was a bit difficult to enjoy the first night when my muscles were yelling at me for a hot bath and a twenty-four hour nap. The hot bath was definitely impossible considering how worn out I was, my system finally shutting down as I realized how really freaking tired I was.

"Goodnight, Grunkle Stan." I mumbled, tossing out his beer can. Once I was sure there was nothing for him to spill, I shut off the living room light and sluggishly made my way up the stairs toward my room. Grunkle Ford and I had designed the house with two master bedrooms, both completely equal in size in everything: room, closet, bathroom, and bathtub. I didn't want to have to fight with Mabel over who got the bigger room, so both our rooms were pretty much the exact same, aside from the way they were set up afterward with our belongings. The other two rooms in the house were guest bedrooms for Grunkle Ford and Grunkle Stan for when they decided to stay in Gravity Falls. Our home was their home, and their home was wherever we were. 

Stumbling into my room, I froze as a sudden chill ran up my spine. Why was my room so cold? Grumbling something unintelligible under my breath, I made my way over to the thermostat and turned up the heat in my room, frowning when I saw the room temperature at forty degrees. Had I left a window open? When did it get so cold? Was my room always that cold? 

Feeling my brain fritz out from the multitude of questions, I gave up on worrying and quickly slid my clothes off, except my boxers, leaving the discarded pile of fabrics somewhere on the floor for me to trip on in the morning. With one final sigh, I plopped onto bed and curled up under the covers. It was nice, having my own room, my own space. Sure, I loved sharing a room with Mabel back at home and during the summer, but we'd come to realized that even we needed space sometimes. Our teen years weren't the best; they were as awkward as anyone would expect.

Of course, I was concerned about Grunkle Ford and how he would get in without a key, but there was no way I was going to wait up for him. After all, he hadn't been there to greet us when we'd arrived. Even Wendy, who's working double shifts to pay off her college loans, made time to come and see us. Groaning into my pillow, I turned over to face the ceiling with a scowl. Had I left the front door unlocked for him? Was he safe, wherever he was? Was he alone? What was he investigating? Was he on some kind of dangerous quest that only he could do? Was that why he hadn't told me about it or offered to take me with him? What in all that is holy was he freaking doing?!

Tossing my pillow at the ceiling, I yelped when it came back down and smacked me in the face. I made no effort to move it either. I was too preoccupied with worrying about my stupidly stubborn great uncle. Yet, at some point, my onslaught of endless questions eased me into slumber, letting my body succumb to how tired I really was. 

~~~~

_Opening my eyes, I found myself sitting in an area I wasn't familiar with, an open field that compared to no other I had ever seen before. There was nothing around to see for miles, and I was completely alone. Where was I? How had I ended up there?_

_Standing up, I looked around the unfamiliar hell and gasped as an odd chill ran up my spine. Fear. I was afraid of this place, this strange endless field of black grass and blood-colored skies. I was terrified of the presence the place gave off, as if the very earth - if that was earth - beneath my feet would come alive and threaten to eat me whole. In a place like that, with everything I knew, it was probably possible. The ground opening up to reveal rows of shark teeth and a tongue seemed normal after everything that happened with Weirdmageddon._

_"Pine Tree," called an ominous whisper, the voice resonating from everywhere around me. Pine Tree? It called me_ Pine Tree _? Feeling my heart rate begin to pick up speed, I spun in circles, my eyes exploring every inch of the place in search of the speaker, a part of me praying that there was no way it was possible._

 _In all my twenty, almost twenty-one, years of living, there was only ever one person or_ thing _to call me Pine Tree. That person or thing was the cause of all the messed up events that occurred in Gravity Falls eight years ago. That person or thing was the cause of Weirdmageddon. That person or thing was Bill-fucking-Cipher, a demon who could even be called the devil himself._

_"Bill?!" I shouted, trying to get him to speak again in the hopes that I could locate him._

_Bill Cipher was the bane of my existence. And, although Grunkle Ford was sure he had been erased from existence, Mabel and I knew the truth. We'd spoken with Axolotl himself, the creature that resided in the time and space between time and space. Before Bill had been erased, he'd chanted, "A-X-O-L-O-T-L! My time has come to burn! I invoke the ancient power that I may return!" By invoking this power, Bill was allowed to exist in a different time, in a different form, paying for his crime until Axolotl was ready to absolve him._

_"Sixty degrees that come in threes."_

_Bill whispered, and I shivered. He was repeating the poem that Axolotl had given us._

_"Watches from within birch trees.  
__Saw his own dimension burn._  
_Misses home and can't return._  
_Says he's happy. He's a liar."_

_I wanted him to stop. I wanted him to shut his mouth, so that I could forget that I'd ever heard those words. I wanted Bill to disappear forever, to leave my friends and family alone. Still, a part of me knew that was impossible. I wanted to believe that Mabel and I had merely dreamed up Axolotl together through some weird twin ESP thing. That was also impossible. What we saw and heard was real. Axolotl was real; Bill Cipher was still alive._

_"Blame the arson for the fire._  
_If he wants to shirk the blame,_  
_He'll have to invoke my name._  
_One way to absolve his crime._  
_A different form, a different time."_

_I never wanted to scream as much as I did in that moment, hearing the last lines of the poem. Bill was messing with me; it was what he did best, after all. He got into people's heads and played with their dreams the same way he was playing with mine. Bill was back, and he'd chosen me to be the first person to announce his return to. I wasn't flattered, not in the least. Every fiber of my being burned with regret that we'd destroyed the memory gun, the one useful weapon against the dream demon._

_"Did you miss me?" Bill asked, laughing like the psychopath he was. I really hated him and his stupid laugh._

_"Show yourself, Bill! What's the point of hiding anymore?!" I yelled, furious. I wanted to stay in control, pretend I didn't care. I didn't want to let him think he was getting to me, but he_ was _getting to me. He was messing up my head and emotions, making my body quiver without my consent in pure, unimaginable terror._

_"Aw, come now, Pine Tree. That's no way to greet an old friend." He teased with another round of malevolent laughter. I really wished he would stop that._

_Gasping, I jumped back as a small patch of grass in front of me began to liquefy. From that liquid rose a tall, humanoid figure, drenched in the black goo it had come out of. And in that moment, I_ knew _that all of my wishes and prayers had fallen on deaf ears. As the goo began to evaporate, the man underneath was revealed. Though his eyes were closed, I could feel his gaze pointed right at me._

_Bill was no longer that weird, little triangle that I'd come to know and fear. Had I not known that he was Bill, I would never have guessed that it was him. His triangle form had been replaced for one of a human, a man not much older than me. He wore a tailored yellow and black suit with a tailcoat, his signature top hat on his head and his favored cane at his side. His skin was pale, ghostly even. I felt that if I looked hard enough, he might even become transparent. I wasn't going to look hard enough. On his head was a mess of strikingly bright blonde hair with one thick patch of black swept to the side, gathered with the piece that covered his right eye._

_Though I was expecting it, I wasn't prepared when Bill's eyelids slowly began to open and reveal the madness that he possessed. His eyes glowed an ominous shade of yellow, and the black of his pupils were sharp like that of a cat ready to pounce on its prey. It was unnatural and extremely horrifying. Looking into them, my knees buckled beneath me and had me hit the ground in defeat. My teeth chattered and my body trembled as I stared up at the creature standing, smirking before me._

_~~Bill. Was. Back.~~ _

_"What's wrong, Pine Tree? You look a little pale." He cooed, crouching down and extending his hand toward me. The black color of his fingernails stood out against the pale color of his skin, and I could only watch as his index finger ghosted over my cheek, trailing its way down to my chin and slowly arching my head to look at the demon before me._

_It was_ my _dream; we were in_ my _head. I_ should _have been able to have some sort of control over what was happening, but the gravity of the situation only hit me when I met the eyes of the creature._ Bill was stronger than before. _It didn't matter if we were in_ my _head because it was_ his _reality. Everything was in his domain, under his control. I had no power there. I was completely at his mercy, and I hated it. I wanted to break down right there and then and cry my eyes out, scream for help that I knew would never. I wanted to just do_ something _!_

_But there was nothing I could do. Bill was the master there. Bill and I both knew it. I was 100% helpless, and there was nothing I could do to change that._

_"Don't look so distressed, Pine Tree. I promise to take good care of you from now on the same way you took good care of me." He snarled, his voice having the same light tone as it did in his last form. "I haven't thanked you for that yet, have I?" He questioned, and my heart skipped a bit, eyes widening as his words slowly began to sink in. I wanted to say, "It's okay, Bill. You don't have to thank me, really!" Sadly, my own voice was caught in my throat, along with the scream I'd been holding in._

_Smiling, Bill gently pulled away from me and stood up. He towered over me, smile never faltering. I didn't have time to react before he attacked, hitting me on the side of the head with his cane so hard that the world around my blurred and disappeared behind an onslaught of white spots. My ears rang from the blow, and my head felt numb. I hadn't even realized I was bleeding until a drop of blood hit my shoulder._

_"Well, this is fun. Hurts, doesn't it, Pine Tree?" Bill cackled, his voice slightly muffled by the ringing in my ears and the throbbing pain that was slowly beginning to reveal itself. "You can't even imagine the amount of pain I endured for the last eight years, seeking redemption from Axolotl. The amount of punishment I endured was so bad that a human like you would have died within the first day. Luckily, I'm not like you, and I'm back, baby! Oh man, it feels good to be free. Now, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, with whoever I want. Sounds exciting, right? It totally is!" He barked, clutching his stomach as he tossed his head back in another fit of laughter._

_He was enjoying this way too much._

_"Want to know the best part?" He whispered in my ear, and the scream I'd been holding in finally burst out as I jumped away, my heart racing a mile a minute. When did he get behind me? "The best part, Pine Tree, is that you were the only person on my mind those entire eight years. It wasn't Six Fingers or Stan Pines or that idiot Gideon or even your twin sister. No, it was_ you _, Pine Tree. You invaded my every thought, embedded yourself within my conscious and subconscious states, making yourself right at home within me. I waited eight whole years, endured eight whole years, just to see you again. You should count yourself lucky."_

_I didn't count myself lucky._

_"I almost can't believe this is real, you in front of me. I feel like any moment now you'll disappear, just like every other illusion of you I've had." He continued, crouching back down to be at eye-level with me. "No, this is different. I'm really in your head this time. You're really real this time. How amazing, is that?" Totally not fucking amazing. "Now, I can do whatever I want to you. And I promise you, Pine Tree, there is a_ lot _that I want to do to you." A chill ran up my spine as a cold dread began to settle itself over my heart. I didn't like where this was going. "I've longed for this moment for eight years, and I'm filled with ecstasy knowing that I'm about to get everything I ever wanted from you." He sneered, inching himself closer and closer to me._

_I wanted to back away, run in the opposite direction as fast as I could. There was a lot that I wanted to do, but none of it was possible. Bill had me right where he wanted me._

_"_ Sir Dipping-sauce! _" Mabel's voice called, the intensity and volume of it causing a crack in the crimson sky. I'd never been more happy to hear my sister call me by that stupid nickname in my entire life._

_"Darn, it seems our times up. Fear not, Pine Tree, I'll see you again very soon." Bill cooed, and I didn't get a chance to argue before he suddenly crushed his lips against mine, biting my lower lip in the process._

~~~~

"Dipper, wake up!" Mabel shouted just as I sat bolt upright in bed, beads of sweat covering my body and drenching my bed sheets. "Jeez, bro-bro. You having a nightmare or something?" My sister asked with a laugh. "Hurry up and get up. It's already twelve o'clock. I've let you sleep in enough. Also, you should go rinse your mouth. I think you bit your lip while you were sleeping." She informed before exiting the room. As her words sunk in, I tossed my covers aside and rushed into the bathroom.

She was right.

My lower lip was bleeding in the exact same spot that Bill had bit me in my dreams when he suddenly, well, you know. That'd never happened before. Bill could do whatever he wanted to people in their dreams, but the effects never followed anyone back into their waking state. That was a first, and it didn't bode well for me. Bill was stronger, a lot stronger. What did that mean for Gravity Falls? What did that mean for me? What was Bill planning now that he was back? And why did he, uh, you know, do _that_ to me? It wasn't like him. Sure, Bill was messed up and all kinds of twisted, but I was sure that was a line he would never cross. Then again, he was a triangle the last time we met, so how could I know? But why me? Why did he have to target me?

"Dipper, hurry up!" Mabel shouted from downstairs, pulling me from my train of thought.

"I'll be right there! Let me shower first!" I hollered back. Why didn't I tell her about the dream? Why didn't I tell her about Bill?

I didn't _want_ to to tell her. I didn't want to tell anyone about Bill being back. I didn't want them to know. I knew it was wrong. I knew that they had every right to know, but I couldn't find the desire or strength within me to want to tell them. I wanted to keep Bill's return a secret, at least until I knew how to get rid of him myself. Besides, where would I even start to explain everything? How would Mabel and I tell Grunkle Ford that we knew all along that Bill was alive in some other time, in some other form? He would never forgive us. No one would. They didn't need to know. They didn't need to worry. As far as they knew, we permanently erased Bill from existence eight years ago.

Bill was gone, and he was _never_ coming back.

To them, at least.


	2. Hallucinations

"Finally, you're awake!" Grunkle Stan greeted as I made my way down the stairs. I'd just finished my shower and dressed in a burgundy half-sleeve shirt, my favorite blue vest, and a random pair of black jeans, along with my signature hat. "Do you have any idea what time it is? It's twelve o'clock in the afternoon, kid!" My great uncle scold, and I shot him an annoyed glare. He was lecturing me? _Really?_

"Unlike you, Grunkle Stan, I was up late unpacking and moving stuff around." I retorted as he fixed me with a glare of his own. The two of us stayed still, staring each other down for a good five minutes until I heard Mabel ask, "Want some juice, Grunkle Ford? It's my own special concoction." _Grunkle Ford?_ Snapping my head toward the kitchen, I darted away before Grunkle Stan began to cheer about winning the staring competition.

"No, thank you, Mabel. I'm honored that you'd offer me such a _delicious_ looking drink, really, but I just drank a coffee." Grunkle Ford replied as I entered the kitchen. If Mabel ever offers you one of her special drinks, refuse it. Don't drink it. Don't smell it. Don't even touch it. Somehow, Mabel's steel stomach was the only one capable of holding down the stuff. Anyone else met a terrible fate. I speak from experience. "Oh, Dipper! I was wondering when you were finally going to wake up." Grunkle Ford greeted me with a laugh, noticing me at the doorway. "Sorry about not being here yesterday. I got caught up in some business. To make up for it, we can spend today together?" He offered, acting as if this was a small matter.

In truth, it _was_ a small matter. I should have been able to forgive him easily. He was offering to make it up to me, too. What more could I ask for? But somehow, it wasn't enough. The dream with Bill had messed me up. I was wired, angry. I wanted to take out the rage that I had for Bill Cipher on everyone around me. After all, when I was in front of the demon, I couldn't do anything but bend to his every command. How pathetic was that? I was absolutely defenseless in front of the most powerful creature to ever exist, aside from Axolotl. I wanted to shout at someone, anyone, maybe even everyone. They didn't understand the amount of fear I was in or the fact that my lip continuously throbbed from the bite Bill had left me _in my dream_. How something that happened in a dream followed me into the real world, I had no idea. However, I was grateful for it being the lip bite instead of the blow to the head because _ouch_.

"No, thank you, Grunkle Ford. I've already made plans with Wendy." I refused, moving to take a seat at the table, on the opposite side of him. I didn't want to be too close to my great uncle, nervous that I might snap and punch him in the face. Yikes, that would have been terrible - for him, mostly.

"Well, that's alright. We can hang out together next time. You know where to find me." He accepted, his eyes never leaving the textbook in his hands. He didn't even really care if I wanted to hang out or not. Sighing, I tried to focus my attention somewhere else before I got even angrier than I already was.

Finally taking notice that something was off, I examined the kitchen and living room. At first, everything looked to be exactly in its place, and then it hit me. The boxes, newspapers, bags, and other trash that we'd left scattered around was gone. How had I not noticed that sooner? Someone, who wasn't _me_ , had actually taken the time to clean up the mess we'd left behind after we'd finished packing. 

"Mabel, who cleaned up?" I asked, truly curious, as I tuned to look at my twin.

"Huh? Oh, Grunkle Stan did. He did it sometime before I woke up." She answered, then immediately returned her attention to the breakfast - or did it count as brunch? - she was fixing up. 

Smiling, I let the thought of Grunkle Stan cleaning up the house for us sooth away my anger. It was a kind gesture, and I was incredibly grateful. Though, it would have been nice of him to help us unpack last night as well. Then again, I couldn't really be mad at him for not helping us either. Nobody _had_ to help us. Everything we brought belonged to Mabel and I, so it was our responsibility to unpack it all. The realization of that only made me feel guilty that I'd mentally called Grunkle Stan a lazy bum when he clearly wasn't. Okay, he was, but that's not the point.

Even if I wasn't mad at Grunkle Stan anymore, I was still furious with Grunkle Ford. Unlike Stan, Grunkle Ford was in no way helpful. Not only had he not been there when we'd arrived to Gravity Falls, but he'd also arrived home super late. I should know since Mabel and I had gone to bed at one in the morning, and he still hadn't come. _Wait a minute._

"Grunkle Ford, at what time did you come home?" I asked, facing the author of the journals that'd started my adventures in Gravity Falls. 

"Two hours ago." He replied, not having to think it over. _Two hours ago._ Okay, I was definitely angry with him.

"I'm sorry, Grunkle Ford. I don't think I heard you right. Did you say two ho-?"

"Breakfast is ready!" Mabel announced, cutting me off as she set a plate of food in front of me, sending me a if-you-start-something-I'll-kick-you-in-the-shin look while she did so. Clearing my throat, I smiled at my great uncle before turning my attention to the food on my plate. The bacon - sorry, Waddles - was decently cooked, the eggs were scrambled and clearly overly salted, and the waffles were burned so bad that I wasn't sure if they were edible. "Why aren't you eating?" My sister questioned me as she set down a glass of orange juice. That's when I realized...

"Mabel, where did you get all this food from? Our fridge was empty last night." I noted, remembering that we had planned to go food shopping later on that day since we had absolutely nothing to eat.

"Grunkle Stan." She answered as if it were obvious. Laughing, I shook my head and returned to my meal. At least, food poisoning sounded like a whole lot better way to die than from a pissed off twin sister, who was only pissed because I refused to eat her food. Giving Mabel a small smile, I quickly scarfed down the meal, saving the orange juice, so that it could help me wash away the taste afterward. 

It didn't help.

My taste buds were going to hate me forever for eating Mabel's cooking. I'd eaten the bacon last, thinking it would be the best part, but it turned out to be drenched in honey. Not a good mix. I nearly puked when I took the first bite but managed to hold it down when Mabel turned to ask me what I thought. Of course, I lied and told her that her cooking was amazing - all while trying not to gag. I definitely deserved some kind of award for getting through that.

Feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, I smiled as I saw Wendy's text light up my screen. There's nothing like the feeling you get when you receive a text from your best friend.

 **Wendy: Hey, loser. Meet me at 2:30 at the Mystery Shack**.

No matter what, I could always count on Wendy to be Wendy. She was as ruthless and funny as she was when we'd first met. Moving to Gravity Falls had to be my best idea ever because that meant I would get to see my best friend every chance I got. Leaving the kitchen and heading into the living room, I plopped down on the couch and replied to her text.

**Me: Sounds good. Is it just going to be us?**

What I loved about texting Wendy: she didn't lag to reply. Not even a minute after I sent my message, she answered back. Don't you just love people who reply back right away? Those are cool people. 

**Wendy: Obviously. Anybody else would so kill our vibe, idiot.**

I've got absolutely no idea what "vibe" she was referring to. We have no such vibe. We're both lame.

 **Me:** **Ha! Whatever, Wendy. Your call. See you then.**

Sighing, I tossed my phone onto the couch beside me and looked around my living room. It's strange, moving to a new place when you're used to the one you'd spent your whole life in. Mabel and I didn't even move into dorms for college. We'd picked a community college close to home, so that we didn't have to move away. Funny how things turn out. We were so set on never leaving home back then that I couldn't help but laugh at the memory. After we'd made up our mind on moving to Gravity Falls, we couldn't wait to get out of there, set out on our own. 

Mabel and I used to stay up late at night and talk about how amazing everything would be when we finally moved. She'd get to be with her friends Candy and Grenda as often as she wanted, and I'd get to spend my free time with Soos and Wendy. Finding work wouldn't be too hard either since Mabel's major was in design. She already had all the people in Gravity Falls lining up to buy her clothes, and she didn't sell her fabrics for cheap either. As for me, I'd gotten my Associates Degree in English and published a mystery novel. Surprisingly, it was a lot more popular than I'd anticipated, even if it didn't have romance.

Despite Bill's return, things seemed to be working out nicely for us so far. Our Grunkles were home with us, Mabel and I had plans to hang out with friends, and our house was pretty freaking amazing, if you ask me. Everything was going just as we'd thought it would.

Feeling a hand brush over the back of my neck, I flinched away as a shiver crawled down my spine. Turning to see who had touched me, I frowned when I saw no one behind me but Mabel, who was too far away to have done it. Did I imagine it?

Having noticed me looking her way, my twin sister placed a huge grin across her face before bounding forward toward me.

"Hey, bro-bro, I'm heading out with Candy and Grenda. What time are you meeting Wendy?" Mabel asked as she plopped down onto the couch beside me, my phone vanishing under her fat butt. 

"Your sitting on my phone." I stated. And what did she do? She farted. Why? Because she's Mabel, that's why. "Mabel, if I get pink eye or something the next time I answer a phone call, I'm going to fart in your face when you fall asleep." I threatened, and she farted again in reply. "Gross, Mabel! That smells terrible!" I complained as I pinched my nose and tried to wave the stench away with my other hand. 

"You still haven't answered my question, Sir Dipping-sauce. What time are you meeting Wendy?" She asked again, looking me directly in the eyes.

"Two thirty." I answered. I shouldn't have answered. I knew the second I saw the smirk forming on my sister's face that I was screwed.

I love my sister, don't get me wrong, but she has this terrible habit of dragging me into things. Sometimes, she calls it a form of sibling bonding; other times, she calls it torture. Torture was definitely more believable since some of our more daring adventures ended with us behind bars. Of course, we never got into any serious trouble. Every time, the police let us go the next morning, but not before giving us a long lecture and a slap on the wrist. 

"Why are you grinning like that?" I questioned, inching away from her as far as I possibly could on our two-person couch. 

"I'm grinning like this, dear little brother, because I am going to make you come hang out with Candy, Grenda, and I. You have plenty of time to chill with us girls. Besides, you have the license and the car." She stated, and I could practically hear the diabolical laughter inside her head. 

"I'm only younger than you by _five minutes_ , Mabel! Also, there is no way that I'm going to drive you and your friends around during my free time." I argued. Before I could say anymore, Mabel latched her hand around my wrist and hoisted me off the couch when she suddenly jumped up.

"You have to! I'm making those five minutes count for something, Dipping-sauce. As your big sister, you have to do as I say. And if you don't, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life." She warned me. Why couldn't I have been born first? I'm sure I would have had a much easier life it was the other way around. 

Rubbing my temples in annoyance, I reluctantly agreed to be Mabel's designated driver. It took her a maximum of two minutes to slip on her shoes and grab her purse from upstairs, all while shouting, "Grunkle Stan, I'm leaving Waddles with you! You better not let him get taken by a recently unfrozen, prehistoric Pterodactyl again!" Yup, that happened before. That day ended with Grunkle Stan fighting a dinosaur by repeatedly punching it in the face. We live weird lives.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Mabel chanted, pulling me along with her out the door as she darted toward the car. 

My morning - technically, early afternoon - went from Bill to my Grunkle Ford to Mabel. It was as if they all existed purely to annoy the crap out of me. To make matters worse, said annoying sister was forcing me to drive her and her friends around. Sure, I had a long sleep, and my body should have felt back at top speed, but that wasn't the case. I was mentally exhausted, as if having Bill bouncing around in my head was draining me. For all I knew, it probably was. Bill was a whole lot stronger than he ever was before - and a lot more twisted. 

"Candy! Grenda!" Mabel shouted, reaching over me and slamming her hand down on the horn. Groaning, I pressed my hands over my ears in an attempt to shut out the noise. "Girls, hurry up! I got us a ride!" She yelled at her friends as they exited Candy's house. 

"Oh, hello, Dipper." Candy greeted me as she slid into the backseat.

"Yea, hey, Dipper." Grenda said, entering through the other side. Sure, I was barely resisting the urge to slam my head onto the steering wheel, but I knew that manners came first. 

"Hey, girls." I replied with a forced smile.

My job was to be the nice in front of guests. That was the way my parents had raised me to be. That was probably one of the only good things they were able to pass on to me. Mabel was on the edge with that one. Sometimes, she was as sweet as honey when other people were present. However, she had those moments where she didn't give a damn about anything and snapped at everyone around her. While these moments were rare, they still existed. 

"To the mall, please." Mabel requested, looking me in the eyes and daring me to argue with her. Resisting the urge to grind my teeth together, I started the car back up and headed toward our destination, even if I really didn't want to go there. Every cell in my body protested against my twin sister's request, but I had to play nice in front of her friends. If they weren't in the car with us, I would have blown a fuse.

I hated the mall; every guy hates the mall. Okay, not _every_ guy, but you get the point. Malls just weren't my scene. Parking was nearly impossible to find - even in a small town like Gravity Falls - and the place was always packed with teenagers who were ditching school and girls who wore way too much make-up and perfume. The place was my absolute worst nightmare, aside from my actual absolute worst nightmare: Bill. If Mabel hadn't threatened to make the rest of my life hell, which I can assure you she can do, I would never have agreed to take her. 

I was tired and grumpy, and I wanted nothing more than to return home and take a nap on my bed until it was time to meet up with Wendy. That sounded like a distant dream. Mabel would never let me get off with just dropping her off at the mall. No, she was going to drag me inside with her, whether I liked it or not - and I definitely did not. 

Arriving at the mall, I drove around for a good twenty minutes before finally deciding to stalk some people with my car to theirs. It was a smart move, aside from the paranoid looks some of them gave me. Those people were quick to rush off and disappear into the sea of cars and people in the parking lot. After a while of nothing, I was finally able to get a spot from one of Wendy's younger siblings - whose name had totally slipped my mind, oops. 

"You're coming with us." Mabel ordered as soon as I killed the engine. 

"Why can't I just wait in the car for you? I've already wasted a lot of time looking for parking, Mabel. I'm going to have to go meet Wendy in less than an hour." I reminded her, looking in the rear-view mirror toward her friends, trying to give them a silent plea for help. They ignored it, which irked me for some reason. Just as I was about to argue further, the reflection in my rear-view mirror was suddenly blocked by a yellow blur. After rubbing my eyes, it was back to normal, so I dismissed the incident as me being tired.

"It takes five minutes to get to the Mystery Shack from here, Dipper. Stop your babbling and get your butt out of the car." Mabel persisted, and then jumped out of the car before I could argue, Candy and Grenda right on her tail. _Girls._ Sighing in defeat, I climbed out of the car and followed after them, slumped over and dragging my feet. 

Entering the mall with the girls, it was nearly impossible to keep pace with them. The three were overly excited, determined, and somehow managed to move at a hundred miles a minute. People always warn you not to get in the middle of a girl's shopping spree. I'd never taken that warning seriously until that day, when I'd nearly got run over by a herd of women having found a store selling everything for fifty to ninety percent off. I'll admit that it sounded like an amazing deal for such an expensive looking store, but I didn't care too much since nothing in there fascinated me, especially since I nearly died over that crap. 

Unable to keep up with Mabel and her friends any longer, I plopped down at a random bench, exasperated. The girls were too busy inside the sale store, fighting with the other women over who should get what, to notice that I'd separated from them. I was planning to wait until the riot had calmed down a little before re-entering and acting as if I'd been there the whole time. After all, Mabel would throw a fit if she knew I'd left her side for even a minute. 

"You look tired. Maybe you should take a nap, here on this comfy bench." A familiar voice cooed, the sweet harmonic sound of his voice easing me more and more into sleep.

Before I could fully succumb to my unconscious state, the familiarity in the voice hit me like a slap to the face - or a cane, in his case. Snapping my head to the side, eyes wide, I sat frozen as I took in the site of the man sitting beside me.

 _How..._ "did I get here?" Bill asked, finishing my train of thought for me. Biting my tongue, I quickly scanned my surrounds to see if anyone else had recognized who he was. Sure, he looked a whole lot different from before, but Bill was still Bill at the core, and everyone in Gravity Falls hated him. 

"Bill?" I questioned, making sure it was really him in front of me and not someone else who just looked a lot like him.

"Well, obviously. Nobody else is this devilishly handsome." He answered, and then the fear kicked in. Yup, it was definitely Bill. Still, why had he been telling me to go to sleep? That seemed a little _weird_ , even for him.

"W-What are you doing here, Bill?" I asked, trying to cover up the quiver in my voice.

"I'm hanging out with you, of course! How could I ever pass up an opportunity to hang out with my best bud?" The demon retorted as his body began to hover off the bench. With ease, he flipped himself around so that he was hanging upside down in the air, levitating a few feet off the bench. Still, no one else seemed to be paying him any attention, as if they didn't care one way or another. That was impossible; there was no way that anyone could just dismiss him in the position he was in. He was hovering in the freaking air, for goodness sake! That only meant one thing: I was the only one who could see him.

_Why me?_

"You're a hallucination, aren't you?" I questioned, lowering my voice and shifting my gaze to the ground. I didn't need anyone to notice me talking to myself, so I ducked my head and sat on the bench like some depressed high school kid.

"Yup! I'm a figment of your imagination, the image of your deepest, darkest desires." He teased, and I shot him a glare from the corner of my eyes. "I guess you like me more than you're letting on, considering you're even starting to see me outside of your dreams. Am I that sexy to you? Oh, Pine Tree, you dirty boy!" He joked.

"Shut up, Bill!" I shouted, earning a few curious glances. Awkwardly clearing my throat, I returned to looking at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing I'd ever seen. Lowering my voice again, I added, "Something is seriously wrong with you if you think I would ever find you attractive, Bill." Smirking, the demon moved closer to me.

"You're straight, aren't you, Pine Tree? Well, it seems I'm going to have to fix that." He purred, and a cold gust of air passed through me, having come out of no where. Arching an eyebrow at the demon beside me, I felt my heart skip a beat when I met his eyes. Suddenly, Bill did seem sort of-. _Woah! Wait, what?! No, no, no, no, no._  

"Sh-shut up, Bill. You don't know anything. You're just a stupid, really annoying hallucination." I hissed under my breath, clearly flustered. Why was I flustered?!

"I guess you could call me that. But I think imaginary friend sounds a whole lot better. Though, in your case, I think it's imaginary enemy." He teased as he began to float in circles around me, which only made me shrink farther into myself, curling into a ball on the bench. Even if I knew that he was just an an illusion, the demon still frightened me, and I was 99.9%  sure that he knew that as well. It was probably one of the reasons he enjoyed messing with me so much. He had power over me; I was an easy target. _That_ was why he'd chosen me. It wasn't because I was special or because he'd apparently been haunted by me for the last eight years. No, it all had to do with the fact that I was the easiest person to get inside of. 

I was the easiest person in all of Gravity Falls to control. I knew it. Bill knew it. Everyone knew it. It was why I was so easily pushed around by Mabel, and why I didn't argue with Grunkle Ford that morning or force Grunkle Stan to help us unpack the previous night. I was manipulable.

"You seem pretty lost in thought there, Pine Tree. Just realize that you'll never get laid if you stick to girls?" Bill asked, sounding totally serious. Blushing, I flashed him a glare and winced when he suddenly burst out in a fit of laughter. Seriously, what the heck was wrong with him? Oh right, he's a demon.

"Fuck off, Bill." I sneered, attempting to put force into my voice, which only seemed to make him laugh more. 

I really hated him. 

Finally calming down from his onslaught of laughter, Bill eased himself back onto the bench. I stiffened as I _felt_ his arm slither around my waist and pull me close against him, his lips pressed to my ear as his hot breath tickled my neck. _I felt him._ How could I feel a hallucination? Was that even possible?

"Don't fret, Pine Tree. You won't be a virgin for long. I'll personally make sure to it." He sang, his lips brushing my ear with every word. As his words sunk in, I jumped away in horror only to find myself once again alone on the bench.

"Dipper, _what the heck?!_ We've been looking for you everywhere. Why'd you just run off without telling us, bro-bro?" Mabel scold, and I snapped my head back to look at her. When did she get there? "What's wrong with you? You look pale. Are you sick or something? Also, aren't you late to meet up with Wendy?" She questioned.

" _What?!_ " I snapped, pulling my phone out of my pocket and cringing at the amount of messages I'd received from my best friend. Why hadn't I felt my phone vibrate? "Shit, I got to go!" Scrambling to get my keys out of my pocket, I booked it toward the parking lot while also calling my very angry friend.

_She's totally going to kill me!_

Trying to get to the car as quickly as possible, I shoved people aside that were in my way and nearly ran over a stroller that was directly in my path. If I hadn't been used to running away from monsters trying to eat me and stuff, I would have ran into the stroller and crushed the baby inside. Luckily, my body moved on instinct as if I were running for dear life, side stepping so fast out of the line of fire that I was pretty sure I got whiplash. 

"Sorry!" I shouted over my shoulder to the ranting mother and dozens of people I'd knocked over on my way out. 

When Wendy didn't answer, I knew I was screwed. Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I found my car key in the bundle of keys just as I arrived at my vehicle. Once it was unlocked, I jumped inside and froze when my phone vibrated in my pocket. Tentatively, I pulled my phone back out and read the message displayed on the screen.

**Wendy: You are so dead, Pines.**

Yup, I was most definitely going to die. My tombstone would read, "Here lies Dipper Pines, the idiot who was late to meet up with his best friend." How did this even happen?

"Don't you know that you should never keep a lady waiting?" A familiar voice said with a laugh from the passenger's seat. _Oh, right._

It was _his_ fault.


	3. Crash and- There's An Angry Blonde

"Aren't you going to get her flowers? What kind of man shows up late to a date and doesn't get the lady flowers? Honestly, kid, this is why you haven't gotten laid already." Bill scold from the passenger's seat, and I tried my absolute hardest to tune him out.

I had come to the conclusion that, if I ignored him, he would disappear. He _had_ to disappear. There was no way I could handle having Bill follow me around like the devil on my shoulder. I would go crazy, especially since Bill wasn't known for making anything easy. When I was twelve, his idea of a joke was giving me a severed head. _I was twelve._ That's how messed up he was. I didn't even want to know what he had in store for me now that I was an adult.

"You shouldn't worry so much, Pine Tree. I won't let you go insane - at least, not yet." He assured me, and I couldn't help but glance over at him. I shouldn't have done that, _big_ mistake.

The demon was less than an inch away from my face, and his eyes were pointed right at me with so much madness in them that my heart stopped. Screaming, I jerked away from him, sending my car swerving out of my lane and onto the next, nearly hitting an oncoming car in the process. Panic rose up within me as my car hydroplaned off the street and onto the sidewalk on the opposite side, coming to a stop after my front, right bumper slammed into a light pole. 

I sat, frozen in my seat, as my mind tried to process what just happened while other drivers pulled to the curb and rushed over to see if I was okay. I couldn't move. I couldn't even really hear them against the sound of the gears turning for answers in my brain. The crowd knocked on the glass of my window, some even trying to open my locked door. One voice in particular sounded strangely familiar, but I didn't care. I wasn't listening. Instead, I just sat there, staring at my steering wheel with wide eyes. And then I realized how quiet it had gotten, aside from the shouting crowd. Swallowing my fear, I slowly turned my head toward the passenger's seat.

It was empty.

Bill was gone. 

Had he been trying to kill me? Probably. It wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. After all, Bill had tried to kill Mabel and I before, eight years ago, by promising to turn us into corpses. That was a horrifying experience. It ended with Grunkle Stan having to change clothes with his brother before giving himself up to Bill. The result: we erased his memory, along with the demon. At least, we thought we did. 

Still, this was unexpected. Bill was clearly enjoying messing with my head, so why would he try to kill me off so soon? It didn't make sense, which meant that this hadn't been on his agenda. No, if Bill was in my head, then he would probably die with me. That meant that the accident was my fault, but there was no way I was taking all the blame since it wouldn't have happened if Bill had simply kept his mouth shut and left me alone. I really wished he would leave me alone.

Life would be a whole lot better without a reincarnated, apocalyptic demon messing around in my head. 

"Axolotl be with me." I whispered under my breath before finally unlocking my door. Immediately, someone yanked it open and dragged me out of the car and into their arms. Confused, I pulled away and stared into the eyes of the blonde before me. "Pacifica?" I questioned, bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

Pacifica Northwest was a royal pain in the butt, always had been. We'd met during our first summer in Gravity Falls, when she'd continuously tried to ruin my sister's reputation. Over time, however, Mabel and I had come to learn that she wasn't too bad of a person, just easily influenced. Still, after that first summer, Pacifica and her family had moved away from Gravity Falls, and I hadn't seen her since. Though Mabel and her kept in contact through text and calls, but that was all I knew about their friendship since I'd never bothered to ask for details. 

"Well, duh. Even an idiot like you should be able to tell who I am." Pacifica insulted while looking me over for any injuries. "What the Hell happened? I was just driving by, minding my own business, when you suddenly came out of no where and almost hit me with your junkyard car rip-off. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She persisted. 

"Uh, I'm okay, really." I informed her and the crowd of people standing behind her. In that moment, I felt totally fine. Nothing hurt or ached; in fact, I was more worried about my "junkyard" car than anything else. "Is my car okay?" I asked as Pacifica forced me to sit back down on the driver's seat.

"Yea, it doesn't look too bad. You should be more concerned for yourself instead of your car, you know? With the way you lost control, your car could have flipped over and killed you." _Jeez, what a way to make me feel better._ "I'm calling Mabel A.S.A.P. to tell her I'm taking you home. There is no way that I'm going to let you drive this deathtrap any further." Pacifica demanded as she pulled out her phone.

"Stop her," a voice whispered into my ear. Doing as told, I yanked her phone out of her hands and tossed it behind me, onto the passenger's seat.

"What the heck was that for, Pines?" She questioned, clearly dumbfounded.

"Uh, I don't know why I did that." I admitted, staring at my hand in awe. Feeling as if I were about to be chewed out, I quickly returned my attention to the blonde in front of me and asked, "Hey, um, you think you could give me a ride to the Mystery Shack? I sort of have plans to meet with Wendy." That clearly wasn't what she wanted to hear, considering the way she narrowed her eyes into a glare. 

"Excuse me? Listen, _Dip-shit_ , you just got into a car accident, so I don't care if you have a date because you are either going home or to a hospital. Pick your poison." She growled. Dip-shit? Did she just call me...? "What are you just sitting there for? Get you ass up and go to my car." She instructed, and I obliged before she could start yelling at me more than she already was. Pacifica was really scary when she wanted to be.

While I slid into her fancy, silver metallic Chrysler 300, Pacifica pulled the keys out of my car's ignition and snatched her phone back from inside. I merely sat in the car and watched as she reassured the other pedestrians that I was safe in her hands before finally making her way over to the car with an annoyed look on her face. 

"Alright, where to?" She asked as she got in her car and handed me my keys.

"Uh, Pacifica, are you okay? You really don't have to do this for me. I feel fi-." I tried to assure her, my voice getting lower and lower with each word as I saw a vein pop out on her forehead.

"Shut up, Dip-shit, and tell me where you want to go!" She shouted, cutting me off, and I flinched away. What did I do to deserve this? "Actually, never mind. You lost your chance to decide. I'm taking your stupid, fragile butt to the hospital." She insisted, and I suddenly felt a surge of anger overcome me - anger that I was 100% sure wasn't mine.

" _No._ " I sneered, and she looked at me with a frown. "We will not be going to a hospital, Pacifica. I want you to take me to the Mystery Shack. You _will_ take me to the Mystery Shack." I demanded. Although it seemed like she wanted to argue, Pacifica merely sighed in defeat and started up her car, driving us toward my destination.

I wasn't sure why I was suddenly so upset. Perhaps, the days events were finally, _really_ getting to me. After all, my day was just going from one bad thing to the next. I wanted nothing more than to just hang out with my best friend and eat a bunch of unhealthy food. That had been the only thing I originally had planned until others had decided to come along and ruin everything - especially Bill Cipher. He was the worst of the bunch.

Bill wasn't just messing with me in my dreams anymore. No, he'd gotten a serious upgrade during the passed eight years and was now able to influence the physical world without having a physical form. He was literally driving me insane with the way he played with my head, pulling on all the right strings to get me to move the way he wanted me to. He was a puppet master, and - sadly - he'd made me his puppet. 

Staring out the window, I sat in silence as I let my mind think over everything that happened after we'd arrived last night. I was officially having the worst day of my life, aside from the days of Weirdmageddon, but those don't count. Those days were in their own special category of bad.

From Bill to everything with my family to pissing off my best friend and finally to crashing my car, everything seemed to be crumbling around me. I knew that if it continued to fall apart, eventually I would begin to fall with it. And then what? What would happen to me once I'd given into Bill's games? I was scared to even think about it.

"We're here." Pacifica announced as she parked her car in front of the Mystery Shack. Wendy had been sitting out in the front steps - probably having been waiting for me - when we arrived, but her eyes had widened when she spotted us. 

"Thanks for the ride, Pacifica. I owe you one." I said as I stepped out of the car. 

"You're crazy if you think I'm just going to leave you here." The blonde sneered, getting out after me. "You don't feel anything now, but there's always a possibility that you might feel something later on, and I'm going to be there to look you in the eyes and say, 'I told you so.' Because I did." She insisted. Before I could argue, Wendy approached us with a confused expression.

"Um, Pacifica, what are you doing here, and why is _Dipper_ with you?" My best friend questioned, but there was an odd tone to her voice. Was that jealousy? 

"I helped him out after he got in a little accident. I _was_ going to take him to the hospital, but the little shit said he had plans with you. Clearly, your date was more important than his health. Too bad for you since I'm now his official chaperone." Pacifica informed with the same harshness in her voice. 

What the Hell was going on?

Sure, Pacifica and Wendy weren't too fond of each other eight years ago, but it'd been a long time since then. Besides, Pacifica had barely returned to Gravity Falls, so there was no way that she and Wendy could have had a falling out that I didn't know about. Gravity Falls was a small town where news spread like wildfire. Whatever happened between them must have happened some time between last summer and my last visit to Gravity Falls or eight years ago after we'd left home. But wouldn't Wendy have told me about it?

"Little accident?" Wendy questioned, turning to look at me.

"It was a minor car crash, nothing major. I'm totally fine." I assured her, placing my hand on her shoulder, but I was quick to withdraw my arm when I saw Pacifica glare at the contact. I was totally confused.

"A minor car crash? What the heck happened? Were you speeding or something? I would think that you would have more common sense than that, you idiot. You of all people should know that driving carefully is extremely important, considering your big brain. Still, I'm glad you're okay." Wendy ranted before pulling me into a hug, which I was more than happy to return.

"I'm going to be sick. Do I really have to watch your nasty public displays of affection?" The blonde Northwest sneered, looking between us as we pulled apart. Seriously, what was going on?

"Dipper, would you mind giving Pacifica and I a moment alone?" Wendy requested, and Pacifica narrowed her eyes into a glare.

"Oh, _now_ you want to talk, Corduroy? Please, I would rather eat cement than spend a moment alone with the likes of you." Ouch, that seemed harsh, even for Pacifica. "Dipper, if you leave, I will kick you in the ass with my $300,000, diamond encrusted stiletto heels. I promise you it will hurt a lot more than you can even imagine." She threatened me, and the only thing I could think was: _What the weird?! You paid $300,000 for a pair of_ heels _?!_

"Leave him out of this, Pacifica!" Wendy demanded, clearly angry.

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry. Dear me, I didn't realize your boy toy didn't know the truth. You see, Dipper, Wendy actually likes-."

"Pacifica, that's enough!"

_Silence._

I'd never felt more awkward standing between two, furious women, and I'd stood between plenty of furious women in my life. Even once during the summer eight years ago, which was terrible since it was more than two women and they were all mad at me. Somehow, this felt a whole lot worse.

"Are you scared? The great Wendy Corduroy is actually _scared_ of something? Oh, this is great! I can't believe you. Are you ashamed, embarrassed? Do you think the truth will destroy your friendship with him? Ha! This is perfect. Wendy, I guess you're not as open as I thought you were." Pacifica bullied her, and even I had to wince at that. Whatever Wendy didn't want to tell me was obviously something important if Pacifica was pushing her so hard, but why did Pacifica Northwest know Wendy's secret and not me?

That's what really bothered me in all this. I was supposed to be Wendy's best friend. She'd cried on my shoulder, clung to me in the dark when she wanted no one else around, told me everything about everything, and shared some of her most personal moments with me. We were supposed to be a team. Then again, I'd said the same thing about Grunkle Ford. 

"Pacifica, why are you doing this to me?" Wendy asked, her voice losing all confidence as she stared into the blonde's eyes. For a moment, Pacifica faltered, clearly unsettled by the redhead's distress. However, it was only for a moment before she stood up straight and stared the other down.

"You tell me." The blonde responded. Looking between them, the realization hit me like a slap to the face.

How had I not seen it? Sure, I was an oblivious walnut when it came to things like crushes and romance, but this was Wendy, my best friend. How did I not know? How did I not realize...? It should have been obvious to me from the awkwardness between us the last time I'd visited. I should have noticed the way she'd distanced herself during the visit and only stuck to small talk about the things that'd been happening while I was away. She'd avoided physical contact and was always letting her mind wander. At the time, I assumed she'd just been consumed with work and school, too stressed to get into the visit. 

I was wrong.

This went beyond Wendy just being tired and stressed. She was lovesick. She was struck by Eros' arrow and didn't know how to accept the feelings inside of her, let alone express them to others. I was so consumed with getting the house done during the last visit to realize that my best friend was stuck in a lake of quicksand, sinking farther and farther into an abyss of confusion and uncertainty. 

"She's in love. How does that make you feel?" Bill asked, finally returning from his silence and literally becoming the devil on my shoulder. Sighing, I brushed him off like a speck of dirt and stepped forward, grabbing my friend's hands in mine. I wasn't in the mood to deal with Bill, especially after the accident.

Pacifica and Wendy immediately froze at my actions. Clearly, this had been difficult for Wendy, and I hated to see her in such turmoil. I had to tell her how I felt, share with her what was going through my head in that moment. It was what she needed to hear, to help her - hopefully.

"Wendy, I love you, and I will always love you." I started with a smile, looking my friend in the eyes. "You're my best friend, so there was absolutely no reason for you to feel so secluded. I feel like such a jerk for not noticing, and I'm so sorry for that. I just want to let you know that I will always be here for you, through everything, so I want you to tell me. I want you to share with me the feelings that you've been bottling up." I requested, and she tightened her grip on my hands.

It looked as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders, and I was happy that I was the one to help her lift off some of that weight. She relaxed in front of me, eyes softening as a small smile spread across her beautiful face. I could never ask for a better best friend than her.

"I'm in love with Pacifica Northwest." Wendy stated, and I beamed. 

"Yea, I can see that." I teased. Blushing, she punched me in the chest, and I winced. _That hurt a lot more than it should have._

"Well, it's about damn time." Pacifica snapped, and we both turned to look at the blonde as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You're as unromantic as ever, Wendy Corduroy. If you plan to be my girlfriend, you better step up your game, sweetheart, because I have claws and I'm not afraid to use them. In fact, since you've made me wait this long, I'm expecting a date tonight, and it's got to be nice." The Northwest demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Can I take back that confession?" Wendy asked with a groan, and Pacifica slapped her arm. "Kidding, kidding!" With that, Wendy leaned down to be at eye-level with the shorter girl and captured her lips. Feeling totally awkward, I quickly averted my gaze and headed into the Mystery Shack, closing the door behind me to give the girls some privacy to talk and whatnot.

_Well, that was..._

"A good reason to turn gay?" Bill questioned, and I glared at him as he sat upon a fake half bear/half fish - "Merbear" - creature that was the Mystery Shack's latest attraction.

"Bill, you sneaky son of a-." I started.

"Yikes! Watch it, kid. You might curse and make your ancestors roll over in their grave." Bill interrupted as I stormed toward him.

"The only one going to be rolling over in their grave is you when I bury you alive, six feet under and chained up!" I shouted. Where were Soos and Melody? I had no idea, but I was grateful for their absence and my solitude. 

"Oh, _kinky_! I mean, that doesn't sound pleasant, definitely not pleasant. Are you upset or something? Was it the whole car accident thing? In my defense, I didn't think you were such a pussy." Bill argued, and I gaped at him.

" _Excuse me?_ "

"Uh, that came out wrong. Sort of. No, not really. I totally meant that." He admitted. Just as I was about to say something else, he added, "You know, Pine Tree, you're pretty ungrateful to me." That got me. Reeling back, I stared at the demon in utter confusion.

"Un-ungrateful?" I stuttered, not too sure if I had heard him right.

"Yes, ungrateful." He confirmed. 

He was delusional. Sure, I was the one having hallucinations, but Bill was definitely the crazier one of the two of us. How he had the nerve to call me _ungrateful_ , I had no idea, especially when he was the one messing up my life. Bill had invaded my head, disrupted my dreams, caused chaos in my life, and was the overall bane in my existence. And yet, _I was ungrateful._ What the actual...?

"What do you want?" I asked, officially done with his mind games. It was clear that Bill had a motive. He never did anything without having a goal already set for himself. He wanted something, and he somehow had come to the conclusion that _I_ could help him get it. How? I have no idea.

"I've already told you what I want, Pine Tree. I want _you_." He stated, and I balled my hands into fists. 

"Stop lying, Bill!" I shouted, which seemed to piss him off. Losing the usual stupid grin on his face, Bill hovered down from his spot and eased himself toward me. Terrified, I backed up until I was pressed against the door with no where to run as the demon came face-to-face with me, anger blazing in his yellow eyes.

"I _never_ lie about what I want, and I will do _anything_ to get it." He growled, and I flinched as he slammed his fist against the door, hitting the spot right beside my head. "I've been very nice up until now, Pine Tree, but you're starting to really push my buttons. I even went out of my way to mess with your sensory nerves and keep you from feeling the immense pain from the accident. Maybe, I should let you suffer for a while as punishment." He cooed, his hot breath tickling my face as he leaned closer to me. "I _hate_ ungrateful children, Pine Tree, and you don't want me to hate you, do you? After all, ungrateful children have flat minds, and flat minds is what lead to the destruction of my dimension." 

I'd pushed my luck. I went too far and messed with something I shouldn't have messed with. I was in way over my head with Bill, thinking I could take him on by myself. It was impossible. Bill wasn't just a demon; he was the devil. I had been a fool to think that I could ever beat him alone. I needed help. I needed to tell my family about him, so we could work together to get rid of him. Sure, Grunkle Ford would be upset, but he would get over it eventually. Besides, this was a lot more important than some family dispute.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Bill stated, and I stiffened as I realized that he was looking into my thoughts. "You decided not to tell your family, so I'm holding you to that decision. Apart of growing up, Pine Tree, is learning that your word is your bond. There's no going back once you've made up your mind on something. Also, if you try to tell them, well, things will get messy." He warned, moving away from me. For a split second, the scenery behind the demon changed.

The Mystery Shack was in ruins, everything in disarray as the walls were coated with fresh blood. On the floor were the dismantled bodies of the people I loved most in my life, their faces all turned toward me and twisted in agony. Though the image lasted for only a second before everything returned to normal, it was enough to haunt me for the rest of my life. 

Hugging my trembling body, I slid down against the door and stared at the floor in front of me as Bill vanished, leaving me alone to think over his words and the vision he'd showed me.

_How did it come to this?_


	4. Freddy Krueger Taught Me Not To Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: ANGST, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS  
> -This story will be getting darker and darker as it progresses and is not recommended for those with suicidal tendencies and/or depression. (Yes, I do realize that I should have put this into chapter one, oops. Better late than never, I suppose.)

**Three days.**

_Three days_ with Mabel complaining about the crash and how I destroyed the car, which is a total lie.  _Th_ _ree days_ of having to put up with Grunkle Ford making loud noises at night doing who knows what. _Three days_ with Grunkle Stan being Grunkle Stan. _Three days_ of Wendy ranting about how Pacifica was so needy and girly. _Three days_ of having to smile and pretend nothing was wrong with me and everything was perfect. _Three days of no sleep._

Ever since what happened at the Mystery Shack three days ago, Bill hadn't bothered to return as a hallucination. He'd vanished back into my mind to let me consider everything that happened, and I was terrified to see him again, so I went with my best option: _stay awake_. 

Growing up, I used to love horror movies, big fan, so - of course - I've seen _Nightmare on Elm Street_. Do you know what Freddy Krueger taught me? He taught me that, when a psychopath is invading your dreams, it's best not to go to sleep or you'll die. The whole dying thing really wasn't my style, so not going to sleep sounded amazing.

Do you know what happens to the human body when it doesn't sleep? Well, let me break it down for you.

After the first 24 hours of no sleep, you slowly begin to go insane. Your emotions run high; you are unable to focus as your attention decreases; you lack the smallest amount of hand-eye coordination; your memory is but a jumbled up blur in your head; and your decision making becomes severely impaired. Physically, your cortisol and TSH levels begin to spike, which leads to high blood pressure. That's only after the first day.

At 48 hours, things get wonky. Everything that happens during the first 24 hours amplifies and your mind begins to fall into short episodes of microsleep to compensate. The episodes are always from a couple of seconds to a couple of minutes, and then are followed by extreme disorientation. The worst part is that the episodes happen at random, at any given time no matter what you're doing, which causes a risk for accidents. Your body also begins to stop metabolizing glucose properly. 

And finally at 72 hours, you're practically a living doll walking around without a purpose. You lack motivation, concentration, perception, and begin to have several types of hallucinations. Since Bill was the one in my head, I couldn't always tell if my hallucination was from sleep deprivation or from him. 

Luckily, there are no records of any _human_ dying from sleep deprivation. Animals are different since they did that whole rat study a while back. Poor little fluffy monstrosities. Anyway, I was pretty sure I was in the safe zone with no sleep. 

Sadly, that alone wasn't enough to comfort me. I lived in fear. I was afraid that Mabel or Wendy or anyone else would begin to notice what was happening to me. Somehow, I'd managed to keep myself secluded by blaming my lack of activity on a new book I was working on. Besides that, I was scared of Bill. I expected him to return at any given moment, so I was always jumpy and filled with panic. I'd jump at the slightest sound or scream when someone touched me. 

I hated the way everything was going. I hated that my head throbbed while my body refused to listen to me. I'd attempted to control the episodes of microsleep whenever I was with people, but it was impossible. I'd blackout and have to explain that I was merely tired because I'd been staying up late to try and finish my new book. It wasn't a total lie. 

Writing was the only thing I could do to keep me distracted when I was alone, which was most of the time in the passed three days. Reading was out of the option since my brain would lose track easily, and I couldn't hang out with friends since I'd been set on avoiding them. 

I felt as though I were falling deeper and deeper into an endless abyss - I would have said the bottomless pit behind the Mystery Shack, but it's already been proven not to be a bottomless pit. 

I didn't want to fall anymore. I didn't want to be scared anymore.

I wanted to be free. I wanted to let go.

I wanted to die.

***

" _Been sittin' eyes wide open behind these four walls, hopin' you'll call!_ " Mabel sang from downstairs, her voice loud enough to be carried up to the second floor and to my room, annoying me in the process. " _It's just a cruel existence like it's no point hopin' at all! Baby, baby, I feel crazy! Up all night, all night and every day! Give me somethin', oh, but you say nothin'! What is happenin' to me? I don't wanna live forever! 'Cause I know I'll be livin' in vain!_ "

Why was she so annoying?

Groaning, I moved from my desk to my door and shouted, "Mabel, shut the Hell up! If you want to sing so badly, go to a karaoke club and get out of here!" With that, I slammed my door and returned to my original position at my desk, planted in front of my laptop. It wasn't long before Mabel ran upstairs and began to bang against my room door for attention, even trying to forcefully kick it open. 

" _What_ do you _want_ , Mabel?" I growled as I slumped back toward the door once more, only opening it a crack to look at my twin. 

"Well, Mister Rude, I want you to come out with me and enjoy the day." She offered with a stupid grin on her face. Were we really twins? "You suggested a karaoke club, so we should do that with all our friends. I could invite Candy and Grenda, and you could invite Wendy and Soos. We could even ask Pacifica to come since she's still in town." That sounded like a terrible idea for _many_ reasons.

"I hate singing." I stated, and she frowned at me, clearly not satisfied with my answer. "Listen, Mabel, I have a lot of writing to do if I want to finish this book on time. If we're done here, I'm going to close my door and do my thing while you run off and do yours." 

"No! You're going to hang out with me today, for sure." She insisted, and I sighed. Why was she so persistent? "We could do something else together, all of us. We could go to the beach? How about that?" What part of the beach was fascinating to people? There was no mystery or wonder at the beach, just lots of sand and lots of water. Besides, I didn't want to go anywhere with how I was feeling, but how was I supposed to tell Mabel that without making her probe me? That only left me with one option.

"Fine, but give me a couple of hours to get ready." I agreed and quickly shut my door before she could say anything else.

I'll admit that it was stupid of me to agree to go out with her, but I couldn't very well refuse, could I? My sister was _Mabel Pines_ , a nosy, persistent pain in the butt. I, honestly, had no other choice but to accept her offer. I'd just have to take a super cold shower first in order to keep me alert, and maybe drink as much caffeine as possible without anyone noticing.

Caffeine had been my saving grace in front of my family since it kept me hyped up and ready for action. It was when I started crashing that I hated it since it left me feeling more drained than I was before. Caffeine was definitely my frenemy. 

Gathering my things, I took a quick shower and ended up sitting in the tub for another hour with the water on, freezing cold and pounding against my bare body. I sat there, tensed up and waiting for the demon to appear. After the hour was up and he didn't come, I gave up and got out to get dressed.

I was tired of waiting for him to return, but I couldn't believe that he wouldn't. That was impossible. I _knew_ he would, no matter what. He was just taking his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. He was waiting for me to let my guard down. Sadly for him, there was no way I was going to drop my guard. I was ready for him - sort of. 

Since I'd been avoiding sleep, he would eventually get bored of not messing with me. I was surprised he'd held out for so long since messing up people's lives was his whole purpose for existing. He was a demon, after all. He should have been going insane, not ruining my life anymore than he already had. Then again, he was probably enjoying watching me squirm and be consumed by my anxiety. That had to be it. He was probably sitting back in my head and laughing every time I jumped or screamed at any small thing, thinking it was him. It pissed me off to think that he was having some kind of vacation _in my head_ while I was afraid twenty-four hours a day. 

"Sir Dipping-sauce! Are you ready yet? The others are already on their way here!" Mabel called, and I frowned. Why did my life suck so much?

Oh right, I lived in Gravity Falls.

Sighing, I tied up my shoes and made my way downstairs to meet with my sister. It was sad how even wanting to make conversation with her seemed like a chore - a sad effect of being sleep deprived. I wanted to talk with her and laugh with her the way I always did, but my brain couldn't compute properly and I was left feeling out of whack. 

"Took you long enough, bro-bro. Our groups going to be bigger than usual, just letting you know." Mabel informed me as I entered the kitchen and began making my coffee.

"Who's coming?" I asked, not really interested. 

"Aside from us Mystery Twins, Grenda and her boyfriend Marius are coming along with Candy, Soos, Melody, Wendy, Pacifica, and Grunkle Stan." She counted, using her fingers. In total, it was a group of ten. 

"Sounds fun." I mumbled, watching my coffee mix and boil in the coffee pot. Why did it take so long?

"Hey, um, bro-bro, are you feeling okay? I've been meaning to ask, but you always seem to escape into your room before I can." My sister explained, and I stiffened, tightening my grip on the counter as I kept my eyes glued to the coffee. I hated how she could spot something wrong with me. I was trying my absolute hardest to keep it together, yet Mabel read me like an open book, and that was infuriating.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to answer as Grunkle Ford burst into the room, shouting, "Dipper, I've found some strange anomalies appearing here in Gravity Falls! They're absolutely fascinating, but a bit worrisome, so I need you to come with me." Of course, it got awkward after that as Mabel looked between the two of us, trying to figure out what to say or do in this type of situation. 

"Um, Grunkle Ford, Dipper has plans to hang out with some friends and me right now." She spoke up as I crossed my arms and leaned back against the counter. This was her show, not mine. 

"That's nice, Mabel, but Dipper is my assistant first and foremost. He has a job to complete in protecting this town." Our Grunkle argued as my coffee finally finished up.

"If that's true, then why didn't you wait until he got here to take him on that job with you instead of leaving on your own?" My sister questioned. I simply poured myself my cup of coffee, grateful that it was done. 

"That was _different_ , Mabel. That job was _too_ important to wait to do." He insisted as I quietly sipped my coffee and let them battle it out.

"What was so important that you couldn't be here to greet us when we arrived?!" I guess it bothered her too. Oh well. "You're our _grunkle_ first and foremost!" 

"Grunkle isn't even a real word!" That did it.

"Excuse me?! Do you know how many new words are added into the dictionary every year? Oh, that's right, you probably don't because you got yourself stuck between dimension for thirty years! Some _genius_ you are, you even ruined your best friends life in the process." Yikes, that was a low blow.

"Mabel, that is all in the passed!"

"But you know what not in the passed, Grunkle Ford? You not being there to greet us when we came home, that's what! Where were you?!" Mabel demanded, slamming her fists onto the table and glaring at our great uncle. All the while, I continued to sip my coffee. 

"I was investigating an anomaly!" He countered.

"What anomaly could be so important?!"

" _Bill Cipher!_ "

Silence was quick to fall over the room as my coffee cup slid from my hands and crashed against the tiled floor. Mabel and Ford both snapped their heads in my direction as I stood frozen, mortified. Standing only inches in front of my was the demon in question, his trademark smirk in place and eyebrow arched in curiosity as he looked into my eyes. _I dropped my guard._

"Hey, Pine Tree, miss me?" _No, no, no, no, no. Why? Why now?!_

"Dipper, are... are you okay?" Mabel asked, moving toward me slowly.

"Don't come any closer!" I shouted, lowering my cap over my eyes to cover the fear in them. 

" _This_ is why I didn't say anything, Mabel. This is the _exact_ reason, right here. You kids didn't need to know about any of that because it would only freak you out, but there isn't any need to worry. Bill Cipher is gone; we made sure of that. I already investigated, and I'm certain that it was a simple mistake on the radar." Our Grunkle stated, and Bill cackled in glee as regret ate away at me. 

The demon was enjoying watching me suffer, left unable to say anything. He was having fun knowing that I couldn't tell anyone about him since he'd threatened me not to. That was fine with me. If that was the way he wanted it, then that was the way it was going to be. _I_ made the choice to keep the truth about him quiet, just as he said, so _I_ was going to take responsibility and get rid of him on my own. Yet the thought of actually getting rid of him made my stomach turn in an uncomfortable fashion. Why was that?

"Uh, Grunkle Ford, there's something we need to tell you. The truth is-." Mabel began.

" _Mabel!_ " I boomed, silencing her. 

"Your sister has a big mouth, you know? She was even the one to start Weirdmageddon." Bill noted with a click of his tongue. _What did he just...?_

Frowning, Mabel latched onto my arm and dragged me into the living room, so we were out of earshot. Of course, Grunkle Ford looked confused the entire time, but I made sure to give him a reassuring smile on the way out. 

"Dipper, we have to tell him." My sister insisted once we were alone - sort of. It's kind of hard to be alone when there's a demon following you around. "This is important. What if that signal thingy really was Bill? We're the only ones who know he's still alive, so of course no one else would think some random signal is him. If Bill comes back, we'll have no way of stopping him this time." She explained, and I narrowed my eyes at her as Bill wrapped his arms around my shoulders, interlocking them over my chest as he rested his chin on the top of my head. 

"I've told you many times, Mabel. We can't trust _anyone_ , especially with that kind of information. Besides, Bill will never come back." I argued while ignoring the feeling of Bill's body trembling against mine as he chuckled. 

I wasn't sure how to explain it, but it felt good. I was intoxicated by the way his body, his heat, clung to mine. I wanted to turn around in his embrace and intertwine us even more, wrapping our bodies around each other in a... _What am I thinking?!_

"Are you sure?" Mabel questioned, pulling me from my embarrassingly disgusting train of thought. 

"Yea, of course. It's me. I would _never_ say anything unless I was sure. Besides, you know that I would never let anyone or anything hurt you." I assured her, taking her hands in mine. Growling, Bill pulled away from me and disappeared back into my mind. For some reason, I was disappointed that he was gone, that he'd let go of me and took his warmth with him. 

Why did he go? Did he know that, without him around to piss me off, I was falling in a downward spiral? Did he really want to watch me suffer that much? Sure, I was scared of him returning for a while, but having him back made me realize how much he'd kept me sane, focused. Bill, strangely enough, was my saving grace in my messed up, sleep deprived state of mind. I needed him around to keep my brain trained on him, to watch him and keep him from messing things up. I _needed_ Bill. Without him, I was once again filled with an empty void within me, a void that continued to expand and consume me with thoughts of suicide, a way to escape the endless nightmare.

Of course, that was the only reason I wanted him around. There definitely wasn't any other reason. I, for sure, didn't find him to be incredibly attractive or anything like that because I was 100% straight and totally into girls. I was not into him at all. Nope, not a chance. Never going to happen. I'm just going to shut up now. 

"I trust you." My sister said, pulling me into a hug as our friends entered the house, laughing like a crazed group of hyenas. Smiling, Mabel pulled away before running over to join them and see what the fuss was all about while I stayed behind and minded my own business. I didn't want to put in the effort to socialize, nor did I feel up to it very much. Besides, I had something else that was nagging at me to worry about. 

Mabel started Weirdmageddon? That was impossible. What was Bill talking about? He had to have been messing with me. Then again, why would he lie about something like that so suddenly? It didn't make sense. Sure, Bill wasn't known for making sense, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't say something unless it was true or would work out in his favor. Did Mabel really start it? Was she to blame for that tragedy coming to pass? 

My body twitched as anger flashed inside of me, my vision staining red for a second. She'd said she trusted me, but could I trust her?

_Mabel..._

"Hey, Dipper!" Wendy called as she walked over to me, and I forced a smile, growing more and more aggravated since I never got to finish my coffee.

"Hey, Wendy. Sorry, I haven't had my coffee yet, so I'm a bit moody. Walk and talk?" I suggested, and she nodded with a laugh, following me into the kitchen, which was now empty. Where did Grunkle Ford go? "How are you and Pacifica doing?" I asked as I poured myself another cup of the caffeinated drink, stepping over the broken porcelain on the floor from my previous cup. 

"We're doing good, aside from her always nagging about my outfits and how I should start brushing my hair more often." My best friend informed me while examining the mess in the kitchen. "How about you? You've been busy with your writing lately, and you kind of just ran off on me that day we were supposed to hang out." She reminded me, and I grimaced as my mind thought back to the vision Bill showed me in the Mystery Shack.

"Yea, sorry about that. I wanted to give you and Pacifica some space and alone time." I lied with ease. 

"Oh, trust me, we have _plenty_ of alone time." Wendy noted with a wink, and I couldn't help but laugh. That was the most disgusting thing I'd heard all day, and yet it was also the best. 

"Too much information, Wendy." I joked, shoving her shoulder slightly as I moved passed her to get the dustpan and the broom. 

"I'm all about giving too much information." She agreed while I started cleaning up the mess. "Are you okay, Dipper? I know that may be a weird question, but you look _exhausted_. How have you been sleeping?" _I haven't_ , I thought with a sigh. 

She was officially the second person to ask me if I was okay, which meant that my little "ailment" was probably becoming physically obvious. _How troublesome._  

"I've been sleeping fine. I guess staying up late has been getting to me, huh? I didn't even realize I looked tired since I feel wide awake." I told her with a reassuring smile, and Wendy let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief. "Honestly, Wendy, you shouldn't worry about me so much. I'm fine." _No, I'm not._ "I probably just need a break from work. Let's be happy we're going to be hanging out today." _Even though I don't want to. I'd rather jump into a pit of acid._

"Yea, you're right. We're going to have a blast." _Absolutely not._

Internally screaming, I finished cleaning up the mess and we both sat at the table as I began drinking my second cup of coffee. All the while, Wendy went on a wild rant about how Pacifica kept insisting on paying off her student loans for her. I'd considered telling Wendy to shut up and just accept the offer since Pacifica was filthy rich anyway, but that probably would have landed me in deep shit with my best friend, so I kept my mouth shut and nodded every so often to pretend I was paying attention.

I was more focused on trying to _will_ Bill to come out of my head as a hallucination, not that it was working out. Bill only appeared when he wanted to, not when I wanted him to. Considering he was taking up residence in _my_ head, I didn't count that as being fair - then again, he's a demon, a very attractive-.

_Stop that, Dipper, you little shit!_

"What are you losers talking about?" Pacifica asked as she entered the kitchen, moving her hips in a way that would make any professional model envious. Normally, I would check her out. I _should_ have been checking her out. She was gorgeous, to say the least, especially in that moment.

Pacifica was radiant. Her platinum blonde hair fell straight down passed her hips, and her blue eyes were luminous against her fair skin. Her legs were long and flawless, probably even incredibly soft. She wore a black cardigan over her hot pink bikini, her curves thoroughly exposed and easy on the eyes. Along with her bikini, she wore pink, strap up sandals that wrapped up her legs and stopped mid-calf, concealing a small ankle tattoo on her right leg. I could only tell it was there by the way the edges of what looked to be a diamond poked out slightly from under the strap.

I should have found her to be sexy, beautiful even, because she was. I should have found my eyes lingering on her plump breasts, which were barely being held up by her top. I should have felt the urge to see her without her bikini and completely bare. I should have done what any guy would do when a super hot girl walks into his kitchen, even if she was dating my best friend. Yet, I did none of that. 

I wasn't attracted to Pacifica.

When I tried to check her out, all I could think of was Bill. That couldn't have been normal, yet it _felt_ normal. All I could think of was the way his lips crushed into mine that first night, the way his hot breath tickled my skin and sent goosebumps up my arms, and the way his body radiated a heat so intense that it made skin burn wherever he touched me. 

"It's rude to stare, Pines." Pacifica commented, flicking my forehead as she was now only a few inches away from me. When did she get so close?

"Yea, Dipper, I know she's hot as Hell, but you shouldn't make it so obvious." Wendy teased, winking at me, and I felt my face grow hot as I realized that I'd been looking right at the blonde when I'd lost myself in my train of thought. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"S-sorry. You j-just look really g-good in that bikini." I stuttered out, and Pacifica laughed before sliding herself onto my lap. What was happening?

"Do you like what you see, Dipper?" She asked as she traced the outline of my lips with her index finger. "That's too bad since I've never found you attractive. Wendy, on the other hand, well, just look at her." She added, gently pushing my chin to the right so that I was looking at my best friend. "Now, you should see _her_ naked. That is quite a sight to behold; I can assure you. Her boobs may be small, but they fit easy into my hands and her nipples taste amazing." The blonde purred into my ear, and I must have looked like a tomato from the way they both burst into a fit of laughter. 

"Pacifica, stop teasing him!" Wendy ordered, and the blonde moved from my lap to her girlfriend's. 

"I can't help it. He makes it so easy to toy with him." Pacifica defended as she got herself comfortable before turning to look me in the eyes. "You really haven't changed at all, Dipper Pines. You're the same little boy from back then, except for that lust in your eyes. Oh, it burns so bright that it makes my skin tingle. Who it's for, I wonder. Do tell." She beckoned me. 

_Lust?_

"I don't know what you're talking about. There's no lust in my eyes." I argued, and the blonde Northwest smirked.

"Whatever you say, Pines. Just remember to use protection." She informed me as she leaned back against her girlfriend while also playing with her hair. 

"There's no need for me to 'use protection' when I'm not feeling any lust. This whole conversation is pointless. I'm not lusting over anyone." I insisted.

"I believe you, Dipper." Wendy assured me, and I suddenly felt bad since I most definitely was lusting over someone. Ah! I mean _not_ lusting over someone because I'm definitely _not_ lusting over anyone, so I have no reason to feel bad. No reason at all.

"He's totally lusting over someone." Pacifica demanded. Before either Wendy or I could argue, Mabel burst into the kitchen yelling, "C'mon, slow pokes! Everything's ready to go!" I was especially thankful for my twin sister in that moment. Considering how tired I was, I was scared that I might snap and tell them the truth because I was starting to care less and less about whether they knew or not.

Sighing, Pacifica jumped up from her spot and dragged Wendy along with her toward the car, leaving me alone in the kitchen with the remainder of my coffee. To drink or not to drink.

Drink, _definitely_ drink. 

Gulping down what was left, I moved to leave when I was stopped by a microsleep episode. I fell into darkness for what felt like a second but was really five minutes. When I came to, Grunkle Ford was standing in front of me with a worried expression on his face. When he got there, I'll never know.

"Are you alright, Dipper?" He asked as I tried to get my vision to focus on him.

"Y-yea, I-I'm good." I lied, rejecting the hand he had offered out to me as I struggled to stand up on my own. "I m-must have got a l-little woozy there for a m-moment from s-sleeping late." I lied, my body swaying slightly from side-to-side. I was too obvious, too disoriented. I was about ready to collapse when a hand gripped onto my shoulder, and then the world immediately came back into focus. 

"Are you sure?" My Grunkle questioned, uncertainty clear on his face.

"Yea, I'm sure." Bill and I answered at the same time, our voices in perfect unison with one another. "I feel great again, so there's no need to worry. Well, I gotta get going. You know, waves to catch and babes to check out. See ya!" With that, I booked it out of the kitchen and right out the door. Was that even me talking back there? What was happening?

"Dipper, there you are! Jeez, what took you so long?" Mabel grumbled as she patted the seat next to her in the back of Pacifica's car. 

"Sorry about that. Got a little caught up with an old kook." I joked, once again at the same time as Bill, as we both slid into the car together, making the exact same movements. Old kook?

"Whatever you say, bro-bro." Mabel mumbled, putting on her seat belt as I turned my gaze to Bill, who was also looking right at me.

We were in perfect sync. It was as if we were mirroring each other, and it scared me, mostly because I wasn't the one in control of what we were doing. Bill, however, looked pleased with everything that was going on rather than being freaked out like I was.

Against my will, the edges of my mouth perked up into a smirk, following Bill's, and, at the same time, we whispered...

"My puppet." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Song Mabel sings - "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by Zayn Malik ft. Taylor Swift


	5. Beaches, Boys, and Books

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I added an OC into this chapter, which may be the reason why I lagged on updating. Sam, to me, was a lot of fun to write. :D

The beach is pointless, stupid even. As I said, there was no mystery to it. There was sand and water and more sand and water. Wait, there is something! Never mind, it's just more sand and more water. See? Pointless. 

Now and again, you'd see a few crabs crawl up onto the surface, but they were quick to scurry away when they saw Mabel running toward them with a wicked gleam in her eyes. If I were them, I would run too. Who knew what Mabel was thinking in that twisted, female brain of hers. 

"The beach is amazing." Pacifica cooed as she laid out on her towel, cliché round glasses in place. She and I were the only ones left behind as the others immediately ran for the water, except Grunkle Stan, who was busy hitting on some woman at the hot dog stand. Who she was, I had no idea. Was she cute? I couldn't tell with the multitude of make-up caked over her face. 

"It's boring," I replied, scanning my surroundings for anything vaguely appealing. _Nothing_.

"You're such a buzzkill, Pines." The blonde grumbled.

"So are you, Northwest, but you don't hear me complaining." I retorted, and she laughed. That was the end of that conversation. Pacifica was too concerned with her suntan to even attempt to hold a conversation with me. If it was up to her, I'd be a fly on her windshield that she could just sweep away. Perhaps, she's not the only one who wanted that. 

Bill had vanished back into my mind at some point during the drive, letting me regain control of my body. Though I was mortified by what happened, I was also fascinated. I'd never experienced anything like that - _perfect mimicry_. It was undoubtedly the most interesting thing to happen between us. How did it work? What made him attempt to try it to begin with? Had he done it before? Had he _attempted_ it before? I had so many questions and so little answers.

And yet, for some reason, I wasn't asking the most important question: What was he planning with such a power? In that moment, I didn't care. I didn't even think about what such an ability could mean for me or Gravity Falls. I simply wasn't interested in knowing, too intrigued by the weirdness of it all to consider the consequences. What great scientist truly thinks over the dangers before performing an experiment? Most scientists actually experiment on themselves as well as their test subjects.

"Dipper, come and join us!" Wendy called as she ran over to me, soaking wet.

"Uh, no thanks. I'd rather not submerge myself in salt water that has been polluted by centuries of human waste and fish feces." I answered, and my friend frowned at me.

"Jeez, Dipper, you are such a buzzkill." Wendy grumbled, and Pacifica laughed. Yea, they definitely belonged together. Idiots apparently attract idiots. Who knew? "How about you, oh-blonde-one? Want to join me in the water?" 

"Sure, babe, but only if you put some sunscreen on me, _all over me_." The blonde practically purred as she sat up, and Wendy smirked at her. _I'm disturbed._

"Alright, well, while you guys be disgusting, I'm going for a walk." I said as I grabbed my phone and rushed off. I could hear the girls laughing behind me, but I wasn't going back there until I was sure they were gone. I'd seen enough movies to know how putting sunscreen on a hot girl in a bikini turned out. There was no way I was sticking around for that. 

Making my way to a quiet side of the beach, I took a seat on the sand, sadly, and concentrated on the waves and their lack of rhythm. They had neither harmony nor timing, completely out of the realm of prediction. The ocean was an untamed source of life; it's both relentless and kind. Yet, it still didn't entertain or intrigue me in anyway. Sure, there was about 90% of the ocean left uncharted, but that mystery was probably better left a mystery, in my opinion. Marine Biology wasn't my field of study, so I had no desire to explore what was beneath the layers and layers of filthy salt water.

Turning my attention to the others at the beach, I frowned when I noticed a familiar couple.

Robbie and Tambry.

Though Robbie and I used to hate the living Hell out of each other, we'd grown passed our differences over time as I began to understand him. If I were in his position, I would hate life as well; after all, his parents were psychopaths - literally. They run a funeral home simply because of their love for the deceased. At some point, I was sure their "love" had become an obsession with the way they spoke of the dead and jumped with glee when they heard they had a new body to bury. Robbie had every right in the world to be secluded and emotional. 

As for Tambry, well, we didn't communicate much. She was more into her cellphone than she was into interacting with people. Tambry was that overused cyber teenager in almost every show on television. Sure, she was cute in her own way, but I'd always been too distracted with Wendy to notice anyone else. Besides, my chances with Tambry were a hundred times lower than the chances I had with Wendy - who also happens to be lesbian, by the way. If my chances are higher with a lesbian, then obviously I would never even try with Tambry.

The couple were sitting on the sand together, hands interlocked and heads rested against each other. They were overly cute and mushy, and it made me gag in discontent. Sure, they were cute together - even if Mable and I were the whole reason they were together - but I wasn't much of a fan of P.D.A. It wasn't my thing. 

Probably feeling me watching them, the couple turned and met my gaze. Blushing, I awkwardly waved at them, and they returned it with smiles. Separating, the two stood from where they were and approached me. _Great, I left one disgusting couple just to run into another. How perfect._

That wasn't what bothered me the most, though. No, what really bothered me was something completely different and yet just as disturbing that it hit me like a slap to the face.

_I'm so fucked._

Tambry was wearing a cute purple bikini that should have caught my attention immediately, but it didn't. That was the problem. Instead of looking at her, my gaze fell on Robbie, who wore nothing but a black pair of swim trunks. I'd never noticed how attractive he'd become after high school. 

Robbie was handsome, incredibly so. He'd lost his skinny, weak body and replaced it for a four-pack of abs and biceps that I had to restrain myself from reaching toward. His face had cleared up, and it was obvious that puberty had been kind to him as his jawline sharpened. He'd even cut his hair, so it was short and spiky. Clearly, he'd passed out of his gothic phase into that of a sexy, playboy rebel that caught the eye of every girl in town - and apparently guys, too. Don't even get me started on his calf muscles. 

"Hey, Dipper." Robbie greeted, pulling me from one train of thought to another. Had his voice always sounded so deep and luscious? Oh Axolotl, I could listen to it all day if I could. 

"H-hey, Robbie." I responded, slightly embarrassed. I felt like a teenage girl talking to her crush for the first time. Ugh. I was so pathetic. "W-what are you two up to?" I asked, suddenly feeling very envious of Tambry.

Why did she get to be with Robbie? She didn't deserve him. If it weren't for Mabel and I, they would still be at each other's throats because _they hated each other_. Mabel was the reason they got along so well since she'd taken the stupid love potion thing from Cupid. If only I knew where that idiot was, so I could take away whatever I'd stupidly let continue between two people who were obviously not compatible. 

_What the Hell are you thinking, you little shit? Snap out of it, Dipper!_

"Well, it's such a nice day out, so Robbie decided that we should go out. I would have preferred to stay in, but Robbie was pretty adamant about the beach. How about you?" Tambry questioned. Of course, she didn't want to go out. She was more in love with staying in and being on her phone than she was with her boyfriend. _Stop it, Dipper!_

"I'm here with the others, but I needed to get away for a bit and be alone. Still, I'm glad I ran into you two. It's been a while since we last talked." I said with a laugh.

"Definitely, it has been. I heard you moved to Gravity Falls recently with your sister. Maybe we could stop by sometime and see the new place and hang out. Sound good to you?" Robbie suggested with a smile, and my heart did a flip. It should have been a crime to be that handsome.

"Yes! Of course! You're always welcome!" I was quick to respond, and I really hoped I didn't sound as lame and desperate as I thought I did. Apparently, I didn't since Robbie laughed and said, "Sounds great. Thanks, Dipper." 

With that, the couple said their farewells to me and went off to continue their date to my disappointment. I would have preferred if Robbie stayed behind while Tambry went somewhere else, alone, to fall into- I really need to stop that.

"I'm jealous." A familiar voice complained, and I frowned as I turned to the pouting man beside me. That was the stupidest thing he'd ever said. Obviously, Bill was hotter than Robbie. _Wait, what?_

"Shut up and go away." I grumbled, looking back to the ocean and pretending I hadn't been thinking what I was thinking. Bill was not hot, and Robbie wasn't either. They were guys, and I was 100% into girls and only girls. 

Who am I kidding? 

They were both extremely hot, and I hated them for it, especially Bill because he's Bill. I should not have been attracted to a demon. And the fact that said demon was the one to start Weirdmageddon only made it worse. Bill Cipher should not have been number one on my top ten list of hot men.

_Hold the fuck up._

I'd only started checking out other men after Bill returned, specifically after we'd met at the mall. At the time, he'd asked me if I was straight, and then he said that he'd have to "fix" that. Is this what he meant by fix? Was he the reason behind my sudden attraction to males? Did he make me gay?

That was impossible. No one could be made or influenced into being gay or straight. People were simply born like that - the same way people are born with blue eyes or curly hair. It's not something anyone has control over. It's a natural occurrence.

 _My_ sudden transition from straight to gay, however, was anything but natural. That only meant one thing: Bill did the impossible and made me gay. 

"Bill, what did-?" I began to ask but shut up when I noticed he was gone again. I was really starting to hate it when he did that. It was so rude.

Grumbling to myself, I suddenly regretted not taking up Grunkle Ford on his offer. Then again, at the time, I was too tired to care. After Bill touched my shoulder in the kitchen, though, I felt energized, almost as if he'd shocked awake every cell in my body. But how long would it last? How long until the energy vanished like a sugar crash? I wasn't looking forward to it because something inside told me that this would be ten times worse than any sugar crash I'd ever felt.

"Hey," an unfamiliar voice greeted, and I turned to see a strange girl take a seat beside me, her auburn hair tied up into a messy bun and her emerald eyes looking right at me. She wore a navy blue tank top and ripped jean shorts along with a pair of black sandals. In her hands was a book. 

"Uh, hello." I responded, feeling very uncomfortable. I wasn't much of a people person, and this was a complete stranger.

"Mind if I sit here with you and read for a while?" She requested, even though she was already sitting. 

"N-no, go right ahead. Free beach, right?" I said, not realizing how stupid I sounded.

"Yea, free beach." She giggled in agreement. "My name's Sam, just Sam. It's not short for anything and doesn't mean anything. I'm new to Gravity Falls because I believe that you have to find the wonder if it doesn't find you first." Why was she introducing herself? I never asked for her name. What a weirdo.

"Find the wonder? What does that mean?" It was a good question, no?

"Well, for example, Disneyland. You can sit around and want to experience the fun all you want, but there'll never be any fun if you never make a move to go there." That made sense, sort of.

"How is Gravity Falls anything like Disneyland to you?" I'm more than sure that was the real question in all this.

Who the heck compares Gravity freaking Falls to _Disneyland_ , of all places? The small town of Gravity Falls had an actual, full blown apocalypse a few years back where as the worst thing Disneyland ever had was probably a tear in the Mickey Mouse costume. That must have been a sad day for everyone at the theme park. They had to deal with crying children while we had to deal with trying to kill a demon and save our friends and family, who had all been turned to stone to use as pieces for Bill's throne. 

"It's the magic." She told me, and I was even more confused than ever. "Gravity Falls is full of magic, and I'm sure this place is a beacon for the supernatural. It's different than other places, accepting of its darkness, accepting of its people. It's magical in a way that real magic isn't truly needed. That's why I moved here. It's the perfect place for the outcasts of the world." I never thought of it like that. 

For the first time since Bill came back into my life, I smiled an honest-to-God _real_ smile. The perfect place for outcasts, huh? She was right; it was the perfect place. It had been that same way of thinking that finalized our decision to move to Gravity Falls. It was where the weirdos belonged. It was where _I_ belonged.

"Well, _just Sam_ , you've come to the right place. Welcome to Gravity Falls. I'm Dipper." I introduced myself, offering her my hand. Smiling, Sam took my offer and gave me a firm handshake before turning her attention to the book - _Stargirl_  by Jerry Spinelli - in her hands.

"Do you usually sit next to strangers?"  

"Only when they look interesting." _Huh?_

"I look interesting to you?" That was impossible, right? My life was interesting, but that was different from what she was saying. I was pretty far from looking interesting in the slightest.

I dealt with interesting things everyday, sure, but I didn't look it. I was more than positive about that. I wasn't muscular like other guys - Robbie, for instance - nor did I have a cute face. In fact, I felt sort of nerdy and sort of like a turn off. Nothing about me was remotely intriguing, especially not enough to catch the attention of a girl like her. 

"I may have seen you talking to yourself earlier so yes." She informed me, and I blushed as I realized what she was talking about. She saw me talking to Bill, who only I could see. That should have made me look more insane than interesting!

"Uh, I was? I-I don't r-remember." I stuttered out, suddenly nervous. Smiling, Sam suddenly leaned toward me and whispered into my ear, "Don't you know, Dipper, all the smartest and most interesting people talk to themselves." Pulling away from me, she looked me right in the eyes for a whole minute, I counted, neither of us moving or daring to look away. When the minute was over, she broke our connection and went back to reading her book.

It's interesting how she found _me_ to be interesting when she was clearly the more interesting one. Sam - just Sam - was weird, a whole other level of weird. I would have put her at Mabel's level if she hadn't been so calm while she focused on her book, which was something my sister could never do. For a few minutes, I did nothing but watch her read, intrigued by how engrossed she was. She laughed and frowned and groaned in annoyance every once in a while. 

I liked to read a lot. That was my thing. I was an author who was fascinated by mystery and had a passion for reading. Still, there was hardly a moment where I expressed so many emotions when reading one of my books, unless it was the journals but those no longer existed. Other than that, I'd shed a tear once or twice when a character died, but that was as far as I went. I'd never 100% submerged myself into the world of the book the way the girl beside me was doing. 

"Is that a good book?" I asked, wanting to keep up a conversation with her. Why was I doing that? 

"To me, yes. To you, I don't know." She answered, glancing at me from the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry?" I didn't get it.

"Well, Dipper, you are you and I am me. I can't tell you if it's good because what's good to me might not be good to you. You see, we are different. Everyone is different. We find what we like, and we have to accept that others might not like it as much as we do. So when you ask if this is a good book, my answer is, ' _I don't know_.'" She was weird - good weird but still weird, nonetheless. What was I supposed to say to that? What did I want to say to that? 

Sam must have noticed my situation as she laughed and suddenly grabbed my hand. Before I could pull away, she turned over my hand so that my palm was facing up and placed the book over it. With a smile, she said, "I'll let you borrow it. When you're done reading it, bring it to me and tell me what you thought of it." She told me.

"Are you sure? Aren't you in the middle of reading it?" I questioned.

"Yes, and yes and no. I've already read the book three times, so I'm not really in the middle of reading it since I've already finished it." She made no sense to me at all, but my earlier smile returned and spread further than I thought possible. For a moment, I was worried that I would tear my own face if I smiled any bigger.

"Alright, then you have yourself a deal. I'll definitely read your book and bring it back to you." I promised, blushing. She was pretty and weird, and I wanted nothing more than to get to know her. I wanted to ask her a billion random questions and talk about anything and everything that popped into my head. She seemed like the type of person who would enjoy a senseless conversation.

No matter how much I enjoyed Sam's company, I could feel something wrong. There were alarm bells ringing in my head that I weren't sure how to explain. They were sirens I was unfamiliar with, so I had no idea what they could mean. That left me with one option: ignore them.

_I shouldn't have ignored them._

"You said that you just moved to Gravity Falls. Where did you move here from?" I wondered, setting the book aside. 

"Las Vegas, Nevada." She said as she played with the end of her shorts. "It's a place where people go to experience wonder for a day or a weekend. And just like that, the wonder is gone because it's _so_ overrated. Everyone wants to feel twenty-one as they drown themselves in liquor and gamble away their life savings. They lose themselves in Las Vegas, and the people who live there are the ones left to pick up the pieces. It's wonder for everyone else apart from the natives. 

"I think that's when I realized that you can't expect the magic to come to you. Life is very short, so you have to find the courage to go out and search for your own wonder, a place you belong. I couldn't stay in a place with no magic because that's not living. I had to break free, move away. I had to find the place that would make me feel alive. Do _you_ feel alive, Dipper?" She asked me. 

I hated her question because, in that moment, I did feel alive. I'd met a lot of different people over the passed twenty, almost twenty-one, years of my life, but Sam was different. She was vibrant, and she had this air around her that made me feel- _just feel._ There were no words to describe how I felt since there were so many different emotions bubbling to the surface and overcoming me.

This was different than a crush. This was different than anything I'd ever felt. I wasn't sexually attracted to Sam; I didn't have this desire to hold her or kiss her or even check her out. No, it was different than that. It was more like we were vibrating at the same frequency. I felt compatible to her, which was weird since we seemed so much like opposites. She was more like Mabel than me. So why did I want her to keep talking?

"Right now, I do." I answered her, and she beamed. "How is that possible? How can I feel so alive now when just this morning I wanted to disappear, to die? I don't understand." I wasn't sure why I told her that, but Sam didn't seem to mind as she reached out and grabbed my hand, her smile never faltering.

"Maybe you just needed someone to fill the void inside of you." The void inside of me? "Most people with depression have this huge hole in their heart, and they just can't fill it no matter how hard they try. Material items are worthless. And sometimes they have the right people to help them, but the right people are saying the wrong things, so nothings changing. When that's the case, they sometimes go to the wrong people, the forgotten, the strangers. In your case, I'm the wrong people, but I'm one of the few wrong people saying the _right_ things." 

I'd never heard someone make so much sense on a topic that made no sense. Depression wasn't something I understood. It's not something _anyone_ understands. The human brain is the greatest mystery in existence, so no one knows what you're really feeling. Depression and anxiety, they're the real question marks. 

"Is there any way you can become one of the right people?" I asked, and she laughed. 

"Yea, Dipper, I would love to be one of the right people for you." That was the best thing I'd heard all day. Smiling, I stood up from the sand and pulled Sam up with me. She didn't have time to process was was happened as I suddenly pulled her along with me toward the one place I didn't want to be: the ocean. 

Laughing, the two of us rushed into the water, ignoring the cold and the harsh current, ignoring the rocks under our feet that scratched against out skin. We splashed filthy salt water at each other and even dunk each other's heads under the water a few times, all while complaining about how nasty the water tasted when it got into out mouths. Even so, we continued what we were doing without a care in the world. Because in that moment...

_We were alive._

"Pine Tree." Bill whispered in my mind, and I looked back to the sand and found the demon standing by the book Sam had lent me. His yellow eyes burned with an intensity I didn't understand, yet I did the one thing I'd been wanting to do since he returned: I tuned him out. Smiling, I focused my attention on Sam and tackled her down into the waves, laughing as we both got swept up and were pulled deeper into the current. 

I didn't want to think about Bill or of the nightmare vision he'd shown me. I felt as if I had an escape from it all, and I loved being able to get away. Sam gave me that. Which was why, after I figured out how to get Bill to reverse whatever he did to me, I planned on asking her out, asking her to be my girlfriend. She seemed perfect in every way, a mystery that I could see myself spending my entire life trying to solve.

"Ice cream?" Sam asked as we crawled out of the water and onto the sand.

"Ice cream." I agreed, and she shoved me back into the oncoming current before getting up and running off toward the ice cream stand. Laughing, I picked myself up and ran after her. Of course, I stopped to pick up the book first since I didn't want to just leave it there for someone else to pick up. After all, I'd made a promise.

Catching up with Sam, she had already ordered herself a cup of ice cream with both Strawberry Sherbet and Cotton Candy. I wasn't surprised. Someone with her personality deserved colorful ice cream. While we waited for hers, I ordered my own cup of vanilla ice cream. Sam was the one to pay as she'd miraculously had some money put away in her pocket that had been sealed in a water-proof bag. She was prepared, if anything. That was when I remembered about my phone. 

"Oh shit!" I shouted as I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, drenched with sea water and no longer turning on. _Just my luck._ I'd been so distracted with having a good time that I'd forgotten to take my phone out of my back pocket before rushing off into the water. 

"Dude, that sucks. How could you be such a dork?" Sam questioned, despite the fact that she was laughing at me. She was kind of a jerk, and that only made me like her even more.

"I think I'm just naturally a dork." I said as I put my no-longer-working phone back in my pocket. 

Smiling, Sam grabbed my hand and dragged me along with her toward one of the tables, so we could eat our ice cream together. Sure, Mabel and the others were probably wondering where I'd gone, but I was enjoying my time with Sam, and I didn't want it to end. I could have just taken her to meet the other, but a selfish part of me really didn't want to share her with anybody else.

"Hey, uh, Sam, are you straight?" I asked, looking only at my ice cream in embarrassment. 

"Nope!" She exclaimed, and I snapped my head up to look at her in shock - or disappointment. I couldn't really tell in that moment. "I'm flexible A.K.A. pansexual." She explained with a wink, and I let out sigh of relief. I should have expected someone as wild as her not to be tied down by only one gender. 

"R-really? That's great!" Okay, I must have sounded pathetic from the way she laughed at me after that. 

"Are _you_ straight?" She asked once she got her laughter under control. Why did she have to ask that? Sure, it was only fair since I asked first, but that's not the point! Technically, I was straight, and then Bill showed up. 

"Uh, I have to g-go... to the bathroom!" I lied, standing up and quickly exiting. 

I really didn't want to have to answer that question, and a part of me was hoping that she would forget all about the question when I returned. Though that seemed like too much to hope for, I was still determined to hope. I didn't want Sam to think I was a closet gay or anything - even if I was, _temporarily_. 

Entering the bathroom, I was glad to find it empty. I didn't need anyone around me when I was feeling confused about my sexuality. Moving to the sinks, I wet my face and stared at myself in the mirror, only to jump when I saw a very angry Bill standing behind me. 

"Jesus, Bill! Stop doing that!" I screamed at him and looked around to make sure no one else was around, even though I already knew no one else was. 

"It's rude to ignore people, Pine Tree." Bill sneered, approaching me. With every step he took closer to me, the air seemed to get colder. His eyes flashed from yellow to bright red with rage for a fraction of a second, and I had absolutely no means of escape as he cornered me back against the sink. Yes, he was a figment of my imagination, and I should have been able to run right through him, but that was impossible with him. He could touch me, _hurt_ me.

"I-I wasn't ignoring you." Oh Axolotl, I was a terrible fucking liar. 

"Sure, you weren't. Same way you weren't flirting with two different people right in front of me today. First, that idiot boy, and then this frilly little girl. You have terrible taste, by the way." He complained, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. That probably wasn't a good idea in my situation. 

"W-what do you want, Bill? Do you want me to apologize? I can do that. I can apologize." I offered. No reply. "Bill, I'm very sorry for ignoring you. It was rude of me to do." I tried anyway, but that only seemed to make him angrier. _I'm so fucked._

Suddenly, I lost all control of my body, leaving me to be Bill's puppet once more. As he raised his right hand, I raised mine, except his hand was burning with blue flames, the blue flames of a deal about to be made. No words were spoken, but it didn't seem to matter. There didn't have to be any words for there to be a deal. A simple handshake was all it took. 

I should have been weary of this happening. I should have known he would plan something like this, but I didn't want to admit it. I let myself be fascinated by his technique and never considered the dangers until it was too late. I had one job: watch Bill. I was tasked with keeping him in line until I could figure out a way to get rid of him. This wasn't keeping him in line. 

_I failed._

"B-Bill, please! Don't do this!" I pleaded, trying my absolute hardest to fight against his power. I couldn't do it. I wasn't like him; I was human. I was a fool to ever think that I had a chance against him. 

"It's too late, Pine Tree." Bill whispered, his voice more menacing than I'd ever heard. I was terrified of him, more terrified than I'd ever been in my life. I could only watch as my hand interlocked with the demon's, sealing the deal - whatever it was. I didn't have a chance to protest or scream as I faded into darkness.

***

Groaning in pain, I pushed myself up into a sitting position, wincing at the amount of pain coursing through my body. I felt as if I'd been stoned, and I don't mean the good kind of stoned. Even worse, my head was pounding so badly that I didn't even get to sit up all the way before I fell back and puked. _Gross._

My vision was blurry, but it didn't matter much since night had clearly fallen, leaving me in absolute darkness. How long had I been out? Where was I? What did Bill do to me? Taking a deep breath, I forced myself off the ground, surprised by the sound of twigs and leaves cracking beneath my weight. Nature. I was in nature, which meant I was in the forest. Okay, that answered one of my questions. 

"Bill?" I called in a weak voice. No answer. I found it difficult to keep myself upright, considering how painful it was just to stand. Still, I pushed forward with my hands out in front of me to keep me from running into something and hurting myself even more. I was happy when I felt my left palm touch the bark of a tree since it gave me something to lean against for support. 

Sadly, only a small amount of moonlight was able to seep through the thick grouping of trees. I shouldn't have been complaining, however, since any amount of light was a blessing. Instinctively, I reached for my phone, only to frown when I remembered that it no longer worked. Stupid piece of crap.

Since my phone wasn't an option, I decided to keep pushing forward despite how much pain I was in or how gross I felt. My body seemed to be covered in some sort of sticky fluid, probably mud. I was scared to even look in a mirror. If I looked as terrible as I felt, I probably looked like a train wreck. 

I walked for what felt like hours, stopping every now and again to catch my breath. I should have been more tired than I felt, but the amount of pain I was in seemed to be the only thing keeping me from knocking out right there and then. That would have been terrible, so you could imagine how happy I was to see a light in the distance. I would have ran toward it if it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't, so I stayed with walking - or limping.

Finally stepping out of the dense forest, I was relieved to find myself in front of the Mystery Shack. I was just about to rush forward when I decided to inspect my damage first. Looking over myself, my heart nearly stopped in my chest as all color drained from my face. 

_I was drenched in blood._


	6. Roses Are Red and Blood Is Too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so I've been away for a while, and I'm deeply sorry for that, especially to those who actually like this story. I've been thinking about something, and I've been letting that something consume me. That ends now. I've been sinking in waters of confusion, but I won't let myself sink anymore because life is short and I need to do as much as I can before it's all over. For those that took the time to read this, thank you.

**Blood.** It was definitely blood. I'd seen enough of the stuff in my life to recognize it anywhere, but I'd never seen so much at one time, especially not on me. I was mortified, and my brain was running at a hundred miles a minute trying to find a plausible explanation for why I'd woken up in the middle of the woods covered in blood. 

There was no explanation. 

At least, there wasn't one I could find at that moment. My fear and worries could have been one of the reasons for my mental block. I was more than positive that my intelligence would have been able to deduce something, anything, but the high levels of anxiety within me were keeping anything from processing properly. Which left me with only one option, drop it and get home A.S.A.P.

Grabbing the spare key from under the welcome rug, I pushed open the door to the Mystery Shack and made my way toward the exhibit area. As quietly as possible, I slid off the cape from the giant, stuffed squirrel - _Squirdini_  - and draped it over my shoulders, covering my blood-stained body and clothes. I didn't want to be spotted by anyone I knew or didn't know, so I was quick to exit right after I took the cloth, locking the shop back up after I left. I didn't need people asking questions; at least, not about me. They could wonder where the squirrel's stupid cape went if they wanted to; I didn't care. As for me being covered in blood, well, those were questions I didn't want people asking me about, especially when I was also in need of answers.

Pulling up the cape's hood, I ducked my head and let my feet guide me home. Luckily for me, I had memorized the path home from the Mystery Shack by heart in order to get home in these types of situations. Okay, not specifically _this_ type, but situations where I'd be left stumbling in the dark. 

It was a longer walk than I'd recalled, especially since I had the eerie sensation that someone or something was watching me. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing straight and shivers were crawling up and down my spine. My radar was on high alert, yet I remained calm and kept to my path. I would have to worry about my stalker later as I had other problems to deal with.

Arriving at the house, I entered as quietly as possible so not to wake anyone, only looking back once while closing the door to make sure the one who had been following me wasn't daring enough to come in. After shutting the door and making sure there was no threat, I had to stop for a moment and simply lean back against the door. The amount of pain I was in was enough to make me want to puke out my internal organs. That wouldn't have been pretty, so I waited a few minutes before finally pushing myself toward the staircase.

It was excruciating. Every step I took up the stairs was even more painful than the last, and my body was growing heavier by the second. A numbness had already began to spread in place of the pain, and I didn't want to know what'd happen once my entire body had become numb. So I trudged forward, small whimpers escaping my lips without my consent.

Though it took longer than it should have, I'd finally made it up the steps, except my legs were no longer operable as I immediately collapsed onto my knees. I was trembling at this point, shaking so bad that I was having an even harder time keeping my vision straight than before. Still, I couldn't just stay out in the hallway or my family would freak when they found me in the morning, so I crawled to my room, practically having to drag my legs along with me.

Shutting the door behind me, I stared around my dark room, waiting patiently for my eyes to adjust the best they could. _Nothing_. I couldn't see a thing, even if I strained my eyes. Knowing I wasn't going to make it to the bed, I locked my bedroom door and passed out right there on the floor.

I didn't dream that night. Not of Bill or of anything really. For some reason, that was a nightmare in itself. I knew I'd felt strange since the moment I woke up in the forest, but I didn't understand it at first. It wasn't until I woke up to the sound of Mabel pounding against my bedroom door the next morning that I realized what was wrong: I felt empty.

There's really no other way to explain it. Empty seemed to be the only fitting word for what I was feeling, even if I didn't understand it much myself. Something was off, yet _empty_ was the only thing popping into my mind to describe whatever was happening.

Perhaps "hollow" is a better term. It was as if something had disappeared from inside me, and I didn't feel right without that piece of me. I should have freaked out when I saw that I was covered in blood. I should have woken up Soos and Melody and had them call my family or take me to the hospital or something. However, I didn't do any of that because the hollow feeling within me was overriding my sense of rationality.

"Dipper, are you in there?!" Mabel shouted, trying hard to gain my attention as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Why was she so loud so early in the morning? _Stupid sister._

Groaning, I reached to unlock the door and froze as I remembered the events of last night and my little dilemma. I wasn't exactly in the best of shape, and I couldn't let Mabel see me in the state I was in: dirty, in pain, and covered in dried blood. Yea, that was sure to end well. If well meant that I'd end up in the back of a van with a straight jacket on.

Slowly, I backed away from my bedroom door - keeping it locked - and slid into my bathroom. I wasted no time and turned on the shower before stepping into it, fully clothed. I was a mess, and a part of me was hoping that the water would wash away the blood on my clothes as well. Yea, I knew that was impossible without the necessary chemicals, but that's besides the point. I was hoping for a miracle. 

"Dipper!" Mabel shouted, her voice louder than the hot water pounding against my face. Why was she so annoying? 

Ignoring her, I began peeling the layers of clothes off my body, disappointed that they still had blood stains. I knew that the shower wasn't going to get the blood out, but I was still disappointed. I would have to burn it. Of course, that was incredibly extreme, and there were other methods, but I didn't care. Go big or go home, right? I'd also toss my shoes and socks into the fire just because. Side note, it's hard to get wet shoes off your feet in the shower. Seriously, don't do it. It's terrible; I fell.

After my shower, I took a few dozen pain killers - don't worry, I'm over exaggerating - and pulled on a hoodie and sweats. It was hot as hell, but I needed the hoodie to hide all the fresh scratches and bruises on my body. My family would probably lose their minds if they saw how battered I was.

Turning toward my bed, I stiffened when I saw the copy of _Stargirl_ laying on top. How did it get there? Did I take it home? Why didn't I notice it earlier? Tentative, I moved toward it, and I was just about to pick it up when my door was suddenly kicked open, the lock breaking in the process. 

"Mabel, what the Hell?!" I shouted, forgetting all about the book as I turned toward my sister in outrage.

"That's what happens when you suddenly disappear on us at the beach and then don't answer me when I'm calling you!" She screamed, clearly pissed off. "Everyone, including me, has been texting and calling you all night! Why didn't you answer us?! Where were you?! And why is your cheek bruised?!" _Shit._

"I-It's b-bruised?" I stuttered out as I ran to the mirror and looked myself over. The first thought that ran through my head was _I look disgusting_. It wasn't a wrong thought either. I'd never looked so gross in my life. The bags under my eyes had gotten worse from when I was sleep deprived. Though I know I'd gotten sleep last night, I still felt as if I hadn't slept in days, maybe even weeks. 

The worst part was the bruise, however. Considering the state I was in, there was no way I would have cared to examine one origin of pain when everything hurt. That would have been stupid. Still, the bruise looked horrible. Had it happened in the forest? Perhaps, I fell and hit my face on a rock and passed out, which lead to the memory loss. No, that seemed like a reach, too much to hope for. 

"Dipper, you haven't answered any of my questions." Mabel sneered from behind me, and I frowned at my reflection as I'd forgotten about my sister's presence in my room - and my broken door. That bitch.

"Mind your own business, Mabel." I growled, spinning around to face her with a glare. "I didn't ask for you to be the concerned sibling. In fact, I didn't even allow you entrance into my room, yet you just broke in like you own me. You are not mom or dad, and I am not a child anymore. You can't just do as you please so stay out of my business and _leave me alone_." Yes, I was being harsh. I could see it in the way her eyes shined with pain and the way her lips turned into a pout. I knew I had hit a sore spot, especially since she was just worried about me, but I didn't care. I was going through shit, and she didn't understand, yet she had the decency to break my door and invade my personal life. I didn't need that.

"I was just-."

"Save it for someone who cares." I cut her off, ignoring the pain in my chest at the sound of her small voice. 

Knowing this wasn't a battle she could win, Mabel mumbled a quick apology and exited my room, not even attempting to shut the broken door behind her. Groaning, I fell back onto my bed and turned my head to stare at the book next to me. 

Why was I covered in blood?

Where did it come from?

 _Who_ did it come from?

What did Bill do?

What did he make _me_ do?

There were so many questions swimming around in my head, but I had no answers. I figured the only way to get answers was to go straight to the source, but I had a feeling that simply falling asleep wasn't going to lure the demon out. No, he seemed to be in hiding. I could feel him in the air around me, yet it felt as though he were an invisible presence, one that I could no longer see, even if I tried. 

What did that mean? I figured that he was messing with me. Staying in the dark just so that I couldn't go to him for answers. He wanted me to figure it all out on my own, and that was exactly what I was going to do. Not because he wanted me to! No, I was doing it for me and for whoever that blood belonged to. It could have been animal blood, but that seemed highly unlikely since the one in control of my body had been a certain yellow-obsessed creature. 

I had to go back to the forest, the place I woke up. I wasn't too sure I could find the exact spot I woke in, but I had to try. Rising from my spot, I slid the copy of _Stargirl_ into my front hoodie pocket and exited. I didn't even make it all the way down the stairs before I was greeted with the face of my Grunkle Ford.

"We need to talk." He declared, and I narrowed my eyes. I didn't like the way he said that.

"I can't right now." I told him.

"You can, and you will. Come with me, _now_." He instructed before walking off. Clenching my teeth, I followed after him like a good boy. 

Yes, I had something more important to be doing, but I couldn't be too suspicious either. I had already blew up on Mabel, so I couldn't do the same with Ford. That would be a brain analysis waiting to happen, knowing him. Besides, blowing up on Mabel still left me in the safety zone since sibling fights were common. If we didn't fight, _that_ would be a cause for worry.

"Why are we in my lab?" I asked as I entered the cellar alongside my grunkle. Sure, we both used the lab now and again, but he wasn't allowed to be in there without me present. That was the rule. I couldn't be in his place without him, and he couldn't be in mine without me. It's a gross invasion of privacy, otherwise. At least, it _was_. I wasn't too sure since it seemed as if he had been making himself at home in my personal space.

Nothing was how I'd left it. Boxes and papers were littered all over the place. Empty and dirty coffee cups covered the tops of several desks, staining some of the papers under them. My perfect organization was gone and replaced by hideous disarray. It felt wrong and disgusting knowing that it was my lab we were in.

"You weren't around much these days, so I decided to borrow it for the time being." Ford explained, and I glared at the back of his head.

"You broke our number one rule." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I had to. You've adjusted your scanner, so it's more efficient than mine. Great job with that, by the way. You've come far from being the kid you once were. I'm proud of you." His praise only seemed to make me angrier.

"Alright, well, I'm down here. What do you want to talk about?" I was seething, so I thought it best to get straight to the point. 

"Bill Cypher." I snapped.

" _Bill Cypher?_ Are you serious?!" I shouted. "Grunkle Ford, your obsession with Bill needs to stop. He's dead and out of our lives, and you need to accept that. I know I have. Clearly, you need another hobby. It's like you _want_ something terrible to happen just so you can feel important again. Sorry to break it to you, but Bill is _never_ coming back." I ranted, breathing heavily when I finished.

"He already has." Grunkle Ford stated as calmly as ever. He was serious. 

"What? No, he's dead. Why would you think he's back? How would you know?" I questioned, taking a step away from my great uncle as fear crept its way to the front of my emotions. 

I was afraid he'd found out that Bill was in my head. My uncle wouldn't hesitate to build another memory gun and shoot me with it, and I couldn't let that happen. Someone's life was probably depending on me keeping my memories intact, well, what little memories I had. Whoever Bill hurt - if anyone - could still be alive and badly wounded, and there was a chance I was the only one who could help him or her. 

"Last night, something strange popped up on the scanner, something concerning." My grunkle began to explain. "It raised a lot of red flags, and so I narrowed it down to get more specific information on the incident. The only thing I got was Bill Cypher. He's back, Dipper. I know it sounds crazy, but he's somehow found a way to escape death and return here to torment us." _No, he's tormenting me._ "There's also this." Clicking a few buttons, the big screen came on and showed a recording of the morning news. The headline itself was enough to make me catch my breathe. 

**Murder in Gravity Falls!**

I ignored the woman talking as I stared directly at the coroner in the background with the body bag. They'd found the body not far from the area I'd woke up in. Though I didn't want to believe it, I knew exactly what that meant. I'd killed someone last night. Sure, I wasn't really the one in control, but the murder was still done with my own hands. Now, I had to ask the one question I didn't want to.

"Who was murdered?" For a moment, Ford said nothing as he eyed me suspiciously - which did nothing but make me even more nervous. That bastard.

"Aren't you paying attention? The lady just said that the body is so bad that identification is impossible at the moment. All they know is that the victim was female, and that she was tortured to death." I'd never been so thankful that I hadn't eaten breakfast. Clenching my fists, I looked away from the screen and down at my feet.

"Computer, activate voice recognition." I commanded, and the giant monitor complied, making the screen go black. "Access verification: Pines, Mason. Login: DP67835."

"What are you-?" My uncle began.

"Access approved. Welcome back, Mister Pines." The computer cut him off. "What can I do for you today?" It asked, and I moved my eyes to meet my uncle's.

"Remove all authorization from Pines, Ford effective immediately. Change the lab entry code to the emergency back-up code and erase his eye scan accessibility. As of right now, Ford Pines will no longer be allowed into this lab without my consent." I ordered, and my computer did as instructed. I wasn't stupid. When I first put my lab together, I made sure to make a back-up code that only I knew in case of emergencies where my Grunkle Ford or anyone else who knew the code couldn't be trusted. This was one of those exact emergencies. 

"Dipper, what is the meaning of-?!" My uncle shouted.

"Get out of my lab." It was my turn to cut him off. "Something's wrong with you Grunkle Ford. Clearly, you're having some kind of mental breakdown considering the way you're trying to link some horrible murder to that psycho Bill Cypher. I don't know what's wrong with you, but, until I've proved your insane theories for myself, you're no longer allowed into my lab, and I don't think you should go near yours either. You're not in the right state of mind. Maybe you should take a break, get away from Gravity Falls for a while." I suggested.

Standing from _my_ chair, Grunkle Ford approached me with slow steps. His eyes were flaming with anger, but I wasn't afraid of him. No, I was more afraid of myself than anything. He could punch me in the face if he wanted to, and I could care less. He wasn't my opponent. He was an obstacle that I was simply removing from the game board, and I was prepared to remove him by any means necessary. 

Finally having come face-to-face with me, my great uncle looked me directly in the eyes and asked, "Where were you last night?" Normally, that question would have thrown me and had me feeling incredibly insulted. I would have thrown a fit and shouted about the accusation being tossed at me. However, these circumstances were anything by normal, and I wasn't the least bit insulted by the fact that he assumed I was the killer, especially when I _knew_ I was the killer.

"I was out with a friend, no one you know. Sorry if that doesn't exactly clear your suspicions of me, but I don't have to defend myself against the insane accusations of someone who has completely lost his mind." I sneered in reply, and Ford looked hurt by my response before shoving his way passed me on his way out. Once I was sure he was gone, I ripped off my hoodie and moved toward my desk. "Computer, lock the doors. I'm not to be disturbed." I instructed.

"Yes, Mister Pines. Doors have been secured. I shall halt any incoming interruptions apart from Pines, Mabel." It responded.

"No, Mabel Pines is to be included. I don't need her disturbing me." I snapped.

"Reprogramming accessibility list now. Pines, Mabel had been successfully removed. Do you have further requests, Mister Pines?" _What's wrong with me?_

"No," was all I replied with as I pulled a mirror out of my desk and set it up in front of me. "Bill, come out you son of a bitch. We need to talk." I demanded, but nothing happened. "Bill, this isn't funny you sick fuck. Get out here _now_!" I was growing more and more desperate by the minute. Why? Why was he staying silent? "Bill! Where are you?! Listen to me!" 

Feeling my eyes sting with tears, I slammed my head hard against the desk and focused only on the pain in an attempt to ignore my real reason for sobbing. I was scared, and I wanted answers, but I didn't want to admit that to myself. I would have rather hurt myself a thousand times before I'd ever voiced the truth behind my tears.

"Pine Tree, that's no way to greet a person." Bill's voice rang in my ears, and I snapped my head up to look once again at my reflection. The version of me in the mirror had yellow eyes and wasn't in the same position I was in. He was smirking and leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. I, on the other hand, had a broken expression on my face and was leaning toward the mirror in obvious desperation. Still, something felt off about this meeting. It was different than before, but I didn't have time to let that bother me.

"Why did't you come out sooner?" I whimpered, and he laughed.

"I was busy." 

"With what?! You live in my head!" I retorted, which only seemed to make his smirk grow.

"Can we get to the real reason you called me here, Pine Tree? We both know you didn't call me because you missed me or anything. No, you have another reason for summoning me out of your mind. What do you want?" Bill questioned, narrowing his eyes slightly. I'd finally had the only person with answers right in front of me - so to speak- and yet I couldn't seem to find the right questions to ask. I didn't want to question Bill. I didn't want my theory to be right because I would be left in a deeper hole than I'd started off in. I didn't want to be right. I didn't want to lose Bill. _Wait, what?_ "I don't have all day, Pine Tree." Bill urged, pulling me from my train of thought.

Taking a deep breath, I relaxed my body and asked him, "Did you kill someone last night in my body?"

_Did I really just say that? How could I be so stupid?! That was so incredibly blunt, and it would give Bill perfect motivation to kill me! I should have eased into it, been more discrete! I should have-!_

"Yes." _I should have killed myself and took Bill with me to the grave._

"You bastard. How could you do that?" I questioned him, keeping my voice calm in order to hide the betrayal I felt. 

"It's simple really. I didn't like her, so I killed her. Like I said, simple." He and I had very different definitions of the word "simple". Groaning, I rose from my seat and began to pace wildly as the Dipper in the reflection continued to sit back in his seat with a bored expression on his face. 

"Just answer me one more question before you suddenly disappear again." I requested, coming to a stop and turning to look at Bill. 

"I can try." I really hated him, and his stupid smug attitude. 

"Who did you kill?" Somehow, that was the most important question to me, even if I already knew the answer. I had to hear it from the demon himself or I'd never be able to truly accept the truth. If it was _her_ , which I was sure it was, I had to make sure she had the farewell she deserved. I refused to give her anything less.

"A woman." And just like that, he was gone. I stood frozen for an entire five minutes before screaming at the top of my lungs in outrage. Bill was cruel, and I was getting sick of his twisted games. I knew he was a demon, but a part of me still held out hope that he had some type of compassion within him. Clearly, I was a fool. 

Turning around, I was just about to walk out when I noticed my hoodie sprayed out on the floor at my feet, the book poking out from inside the pocket. I was a murderer. I killed someone who could have given me a future away from the craziness of the life I was stuck within. Reaching for the book, I stopped when I noticed something wet hit the cover. For a moment, I was confused, wondering how it could rain indoors. And then I understood. I was crying like the coward I was.

I was crying because _I killed Sam_. 


	7. The Girl in the Morgue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you, everyone, for all of the support you shown me after my last note. I truly appreciate your concern and support. It means the world to me. ☺️

"I don't know what's going on with you, kid, but I hope you fix it soon." Grunkle Stan announced as I walked out of my lab, and I turned to look at him as he exited the room. 

"I hope so too." I whispered in agreement before heading out the door. Once again, Sam's book was safely tucked away in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I refused to let it out of my sight a second time. 

I'd talked to Sam for a short amount of time, but I knew from the moment she sat down next to me on the beach that she was the one for me. She was perfect and alive, and she was everything I could ever want. Now, she was gone. Bill had taken her from me because I belonged to him and only him. I was sure that was how he saw it.

The worst part of it all was the fact that I couldn't even grieve her death. No, I was put in a situation where crying was not an option. Besides, Sam deserved better than that. She deserved to be respected, and that meant that I had to put aside my fears and take a good look at what was done to her. My hands were stained with her blood. It was only fair that I faced my crime and acknowledged what was done.

I had no right to shed tears for a woman that I killed. Her death was my own fault. Had I seen through Bill sooner, I could have prevented it. I could have prevented everything that happened since the demon's return. Why had I been so stubborn? Why did I think I could do it alone? 

Maneuvering my way through the crowded streets, I kept my head low as my mind wandered to a place where nothing bad happened. I avoided touching anyone and drawing attention to myself. I was good at keeping myself invisible as it was something I did often in high school - not the best time for me. 

It didn't take me too long to reach my destination considering how small of a town Gravity Falls was. Still, it sucked to know how busy the place was, especially since it was a place people tended to avoid: the morgue. The place was crowded with news reporters, even Shandra Jimenez was right in front with Toby Determined standing too close behind her for comfort. She seemed too occupied with her story to pay him much attention, however. 

It was a good thing that I had already expected the chaos. Moving quickly, I slid into a sanity sewer that I'd grown familiar with. Over the years, Grunkle Ford and I had to break into the morgue quite a few times to remove a non-human body from inside. The sanity sewer, luckily, lead to another that was placed directly inside the building, specifically in the lab area. I was far from interested in knowing what types of things they tossed down there, so I was always cautious before taking a step. 

"-girl. The amount of damage done to her body is absolutely terrible." I could hear someone say from overhead as I reached my entry place. 

_Shit. I'm going to have to wait until they're gone._

"What do you reckon could've done this?" A voice that was clearly Sheriff Blubs' asked. 

"Maybe it was a bear." Deputy Durland interjected. _Idiot._  

"No, this wasn't any bear, deputy. This was a cold-blooded monster with no soul." Clenching my fists, I stayed quiet as the men continued their discussion on what killed Sam. I wanted them to leave, but there was nothing I could do.

"Dipper?" A familiar voice called, and I jumped as I spotted my uncle hiding in the shadows.

_Why am I not surprised?_

"Grunkle Ford, what the hell?!" I quietly shouted, moving toward him. "What are you doing here? I told you to leave this alone." I reminded him.

"I know so imagine my surprise to see _you_ not leaving this alone. You're thinking the same thing as me, aren't you? You think Bill did this." He assumed. I'd never wanted to punch my stubborn great uncle more than I did in that moment. "Why are you acting so strange, Dipper? Why won't you let me in, let me help?" He questioned me. Before I could answer, the door the lab upstairs was bolted shut, and I listened in for any further noise. _Silence_.

"Leave this place and stay away from me." I demanded before making my way up the rabbit hole and into the dreaded wonderland more commonly known as the morgue. 

I didn't even have to search as they'd left the body on the steel exam table, well, what was left of it. It was clear from where the sheet dipped that the body was missing a leg and both arms, even a part of her head seemed to be missing. 

A part of me wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible and vomit, even if there was nothing but stomach bile to puke. However, I couldn't do that. I had to face what I'd done instead of running away like the coward I knew I really was. I had to look at my work and take in the sight that was sure to be horrifying. My resolve was firm.

Clenching my teeth, I made my way forward and ripped off the sheet, my stomach lurching in the process. 

_It was fucking terrible._

I resisted the urge to look away and grabbed hold of the exam table for support when my eyes blurred. My head swam as it reached for memories that weren't within its reach. 

 _Did I do this? How could I? Fucking hell, this shit is terrible! Bill did this? He's capable of being this cruel? Why? Why didn't I see this coming? Why didn't I prevent it?_ Why?!

 _Because I'm a fool, that's why._  

The victim - Sam - was definitely female, and Bill hadn't seemed to like that very much since he'd cut off one of her boobs. Her face was unrecognizable from the chemical burns and all of her teeth had been pulled. No teeth meant no dental records. No arms meant no fingers, and that meant no fingerprints. He was smart. There was no way anyone would be able to find out who she was without extensive searching. They'd need to dig deep to find out her name. 

"Disgusting, isn't it?" Grunkle Ford voiced from behind me, and I grit my teeth in irritation. Just how much more of his bullshit could I take before I snapped? 

"Back off, Grunkle Ford." I growled. It was clear, however, that he no longer cared what I thought or said as he made his way toward the other side of the exam table. 

"Look at this, Dipper, and tell me that this isn't the work of Bill." He started. _Why did he follow me?_ "He's a demon." _I know that! I know that better than anyone!_ "He killed this poor, innocent woman and turned her into this..." _Don't say it._ "...disfigured abomination of a corpse in the process. It's hard to even look upon her and this terrible thing that she's become. Bill is ba-!" He didn't get a chance to finish as my fist collided with the side of his face and sent him straight toward the floor. He landed with a loud grunt and a sort of cracking noise.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! _Shut up!_ I don't want to hear this, any of this!" I shouted, glaring down at him as if he were a piece of trash in my way, which he was in that moment. "I told you to leave me alone, and you didn't. Why? Why did you have to follow me?" I questioned him as I pulled my leg back before letting it kick forward into his abdomen. 

Maybe it was pent up frustration from everything that'd happened to me or maybe it was just me losing my mind. Whatever it was, it finally got a hold of me as I continued to kick my uncle with so much anger that I didn't even stop when I heard something crack under one of my blows, causing him to scream out in pain.

"D-Dipper, please!" Ford begged, and I kicked him in the face to shut him up. I didn't want to hear him plead to me when he'd ignored all of _my_ pleas. I'd told him to stop, to leave me alone. He didn't. He had sealed his fate when he'd persisted to intervene in my life. 

Yes, I knew what I was doing was wrong. Yes, I knew I should stop before I killed. Yes, I knew I wasn't acting on my right mind. I knew all of this, but I couldn't stop. I wanted to kill Grunkle Ford, to rid his existence from my life. I wanted to end his involvement in my personal life.

"S-stop!" He cried, blood spitting out of his mouth from where I'd kicked out his teeth. Furious, I kicked him so hard in the head that he'd blanked out. Still, that didn't stop me. I'd just continued kicking him.

"Stop!" Another voice yelled, and then I stopped. I stopped because the voice was familiar and beautiful, and I was determined to give it all of my attention. Turning toward the newcomer, my heart ached my in my chest as my eyes landed on Sam and all her glory. "Dipper?" She questioned, and suddenly I was ashamed. She shouldn't have seen this disgusting side to me. She shouldn't have- wait, she shouldn't have been alive.

"Sam, are you really here?" I wondered, moving toward her slowly, almost dragging my feet like a zombie or something. 

Without saying a word, she moved forward, grabbed my face, and pressed her lips hard against mine. She was real. She was there. She was kissing me! 

"Yea, its me." She said, breathless as she broke our kiss. 

"Yea, it is." I confirmed, smiling as I stared into her eyes. She was alive. Sam was alive and well, and she kissed me. And it was the best kiss I'd ever had in my life. I was ready to give her another when everything that'd just happened finally clicked, making me feel incredibly sick.

"Dipper, we need to get out of here, _now_." She instructed, grabbing my hand and pulling me along with her out of the room. I was quiet and obedient as she broke into the security room and started taking out the tapes with the recordings for today, erasing any evidence of me being there. "Let's go." She ordered as she stuffed the taped into her shoulder bag. 

"S-Sam, I-." I started.

"Not right now, Dipper. We can talk about this later. Right now, we have to leave." She said that, but I didn't think I could take another step. If it weren't for her dragging me along, I would have passed out a long time ago from exhaustion. My body was still in immense pain from the previous night. 

Even as we'd made it out of the morgue, I was in turmoil. My vision was everywhere and vomit was spilling out my mouth against my will. I wanted to look cooler in front of Sam, but I as sure she'd run away in disgust once she finally stopped and turned to look at me. However, I was wrong.

Once we finally came to a stop in front of a house, Sam turned to me and smiled. 

"You look like a baby." She commented with a giggle before opening the door and guiding me inside. She was careful with me, as if she'd break me, and sat me down gently on the couch before running off. She wasn't gone for long as she returning with some stuff that my eyes couldn't focus properly on. 

I didn't resist as Sam pulled off my hoodie, and I didn't say anything as she slowly began to clean me off with a wet rag.

"Who beat you up?" She asked, taking in the sight of my battered body.

"I don't know. I don't remember." I answered her. 

"Well, I hope you kicked their ass even worse." She responded as she force fed me some pills. 

"Sam, why were you in the morgue?" I asked as she finally settled down next to me on the couch.

"I work there, Dipper." She answered, taking my hand and making me flush pink. "You're so cute when you blush." She teased.

"Shut up."

"No way. Can I take a picture?"

"Hell no."

"But you'd look so cute!"

"Men are not cute, Sam." I argued, and she pecked my cheek, making my blush even worse. 

"Totally cute." She insisted, and I didn't fight her on it. "Dipper, are you going to explain to me what was happening back there? Why were you in the morgue? Who was that old guy and why were you beating him up?" She questioned, resting her head on my shoulder as I rested mine on her head. 

"Something's wrong with me, Sam. Something horrible, and I don't know how to handle it. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I thought the girl in the morgue was you. I went crazy. It made me crazy to think you were dead. I couldn't take it, so I beat up my Grunkle Ford. I wanted to kill him. I couldn't understand why he got to live when you didn't. I-I-."

"That's enough." Sam interrupted, climbing onto my lap so that she was straddling me. "Look at me." She requested, and I couldn't do it. "Dipper, please." I refused. I was ashamed and disgusted with myself. "Dipper, stop it." She demanded, and I'll admit that it was hard to not do as she told me to. "Baby, please look at me." Her voice was softer now, pleading, and it hurt to hear her begging me for something, so I finally met her eyes. "There you go. Look at me; I'm alive. I'm right here with you, on top of you, even. We're actually in a very sexual position. And, I don't know about you, but I find it kind of hard not to do sexual things right now." She half purred with a wink.

"Then why don't we?" I asked, moving my hands to her hips and holding her still. 

"Because you look like someone tied you to a car and dragged you around behind it as they went one hundred miles per hour." That sounded terrible.

"Really?" I wondered, not really sure how I looked. 

"Yes, really. And sex just happens to be a very active sport. I don't think you body will be able to handle it." She said with a laugh.

"Sam, why are you doing this?" I questioned, and all signs of humor left her face as she looked at me in confusion. "Why did you bring me here? Why would you help me even after you saw me nearly beat a man to death? Why did you kiss me? Why are you sitting on my lap right now and taking care of me? Why? I don't understand." I wanted to know; I _needed_ to know. It didn't make sense to me. 

"That's a lot of questions." She stated, and I frowned. 

"Sam, please, answer me." I begged, and it was her turn to frown.

"Why do you need to know so badly? Why does it matter why I did what I did? Can't you just be thankful and forget about it?" She was answering my questions with questions. Well, I give her credit for knowing for to avoid a subject. 

"Because I have to know, Sam. I need to know that this, us, is real. I need to know you're real. I told you I thought I was going crazy. I've had hallucinations before, and I'm still not one hundred percent sure that you're real. I have to understand why you did what you did in order to separate fact from fiction. I need to-."

"Ugh! You're so annoying!" She yelled, cutting me off. Getting off of me, Sam grabbed my hand and pulled me up with her. "C'mon, follow me." She ordered, and I did as told. I followed her up the stairs and into a bedroom, where she pushed me down onto the bed. "I'll prove to you that I'm real." She growled, pulling off her shirt.

"Sam, what are you-?"

"Shut up, Dipper." She growled as she pressed her lips against mine. "Just shut up and hold me. Hold me like you'll never hold me again. Feel me with every inch of your body. Kiss me and take my breathe away. Know that I'm alive and be reassured that what I did was because I wanted to do it for you, for us. Know that I'll do anything to protect you. Know that I'm here and you are mine." She told me, and what could I say to that? Nothing. So I was as obedient as before and did as she told me.

I held her as if I'd never get to hold her again. I took her breathe away and kissed every inch of her body, refusing to miss a spot. I took in her presence beside me and let myself believe that she was real. Still, there was a nagging sensation at the back of my head trying to tell me something, but I ignored it. I didn't care what it was telling me or warning me. All I could see in that moment was Sam, and the world was ours. I gave myself to her as she gave herself to me, and it was perfect. I didn't care about the nagging sensation in my head or of the pain on my body or the fact that Ford could be dead. I didn't care about any of that. 

***

"You alright?" Sam asked as she entered the room, wearing only a long shirt. 

"Perfect." I answered, and she smirked before tossing a book at me. Immediately, I cringed and whimpered from that small movement. 

"Oh, yea, you're _definitely_ perfect." Her voice was covered in sarcasm. "Just don't go blaming me for your extreme pain, got it? I warned you from the start that you were too messed up." She scold as she laid on the bed next to me and curled up at my side. "When you're better, we should do that again. It was fun." She teased with a wink, and I rolled my eyes.

"You're crazy, Sam." 

"Actually, you're the one whose crazy. Look at this." She said as she turned on the television on her room and put on the news. Shandra was on and talking about how they'd discovered a man in the morgue, who had nearly been beaten to death. Authorities were apparently quick to transport him to the hospital; however, the man was comatose from the moment they'd found him and had yet to wake up in the intensive care unit. "He's alive, Dipper. This is bad." Sam announced, and I almost couldn't believe what she said. 

"Him being alive is bad?" I questioned her, unsure if I heard her right.

"Terrible, actually." She answered as she shut off the television and turned to look at me. "If your _grunkle_ or whatever wake up, he's going to report you. He's going to tell the cops it was you who nearly beat him to death, and then you'll be imprisoned from attempted murder." She informed me, and I clenched my fists. I didn't think of that.

"We should run away then." I suggested, and she smiled at me like I was child.

"No, I got a better idea. We should finish what you started and kill him." She told me, taking my hand.

"Kill him?! Are you insane?! I'm not going to kill my uncle, Sam. That's crazy talk." I argued, and she sat up and stared down at me.

"No, it's not." She argued. "Listen to me, Dipper. When he wakes up, that's it for everything, including us. He'll tell the authorities that you beat him up in an attempt to kill him, and then they'll arrest and throw you in prison. Can you survive prison? No, I don't think so. I refuse to let this man have the power to either tear us apart or keep us together. It's not right. You made a mistake; everybody does, so why should you be arrested for yours? It's not fair. I will not just stand by while this man continues to live. He doesn't deserve it." She insisted. 

"I understand what you're saying, Sam."

"Do you? Really? Because I don't think you do. You made a mistake, and it your responsibility to clean up." She snapped at me.

"I get that; I do. However, killing him sounds a little extreme." I told her. "There has to be another way. There's always another way. We can even invent a memory gun and erase his memories of me beating him. Hell, he won't even remember going to the morgue. We can erase all of the evidence of my involvement. How does that sound?" I offered, and Sam honestly looked offended by the suggestion. 

"No way! We are _not_ building a memory gun!" She yelled, looking flustered by the very topic. "Erasing someone's memory has no guarantee. For all we know, we could erase his memory and he'll get it back that same day. And then what? And then we'll be right back to square one. It's too risky. I won't accept that. We need to get rid of him completely in order to eliminate the threat against you. This is the _only_ way." She persisted. 

"I don't know, Sam. This doesn't seem-."

"Baby, I can't lose you." Sam said, her voice pleading as she climbed on top of me and looked me in the eyes. "I can't lose you, baby, especially not after we just found each other. If I lost you, I'd die. I know you don't want me to die, and I don't want to die either. I refuse to lose you. Please, kill him for me, for us. I can't live without you." How could I refuse her? I couldn't.

"For you, anything." I answered, and she squealed in delight before capturing my lips with hers.

"I'm so happy! We can get to work once you're all better." She giggled, climbing off of me. "For now, I'll go make us a big breakfast. How do pancakes sound?" She asked, looking down at me expectantly. 

"Pancakes sound great." I assured her, and she gave me another quick kiss before running off.

I knew this was wrong. I knew that killing Ford couldn't have been the only, but there was no way I could refuse Sam. After assuming I killed her, there was no way I would risk losing her. Sam was my everything, and I finally had her back after I thought I lost her. 

"Well, I'll give you one thing. You've definitely gone dark side while I was away." Bill joked as he appeared at the foot of the bed. "To think you'd go as far as to kill your uncle for a girl. Jeez, kid, what's wrong with you?" He said, laughing like the maniac he was. 

"Shut up, Bill." I growled in response as my eyes darted between him and the door, hoping Sam wouldn't return.

"Hell no. This is too good; I can't stay quiet." He persisted, moving around the bed toward me. "You're actually going to kill someone. How fucking amazing is that? And you know what's the best part? It's going to haunt you forever. The memories of staining your hands with Ford's blood will follow you to your grave, and I'll be the one to make sure of it. I'll let those sweet, bloody memories slip into every single one of your dreams until you'll never be able to sleep again. I'll distort your every sense of reality and make you lose sight of what's real and what's not. I will break you until there's nothing left to break. Do you know what will happen then, Pine Tree? Then you'll lose the pretty little lady that's making you kill, and it would have all been for not." He was as corrupt as ever.

"Who is the girl in the morgue, Bill?" I asked, changing the subject. I didn't want to talk about this with him. I didn't even want him knowing about what I was planning. And this was the exact reason why. Bill would have found the whole thing to be a game, a source of amusement for him and his sick, twisted mind. He was a demon through and through. 

"The girl in the morgue? I haven't the slightest idea who you're talking about. Sorry, I can't help you there." He teased, obviously lying as he grinned at me. 

" _Bullshit_. Who did you kill last night using my body?" I demanded to know, but it was clear that Bill wasn't going to entertain me with an answer as he vanished before my eyes.

"Baby, who are you talking to?" Sam asked as she entered the room, face covered in flour. 

"Uh, no one. Why are you covered in flour?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I forgot I can't cook." She answered in all honesty, and I'd completely forgot about Bill as I burst into a fit of laughter. "S-stop laughing at me, meanie! It's not my fault I can't cook!" She insisted, blushing like mad and looking like a pink marshmallow. It's incredibly difficult not to laugh at that. 

"I'm sorry, but why didn't you just say that before deciding to start cooking?" I asked.

"Because I was hoping to impress you." She grumbled with a pout, and I pushed myself out of bed, wincing at the pain. 

"Sorry to inform you, Sam, but I'm sure anything you would have made would have killed me." I teased with a wink, and she tossed her apron at me, which only made me laugh harder. "How about you get me some more pain killers while _I_ cook us some pancakes?" I suggested, and she seemed to have thought it over for a moment before nodding.

"Fine, but I'm only doing this because I'm tired of eating my nasty cooking." She insisted, and I laughed again.

"Yea, I bet. Now scram!" I said as I swatted her butt and sent her off. 

As soon as she was gone, I leaned against the wall and stared down at my hands in contemplation of everything I'd done and what I was soon going to do. I was going to kill Ford. Perhaps, in some twisted way, Bill was right. That was going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Now, that left the question: Could I bring myself to do it? 

I had to. 

I had to kill Ford in order to keep him from running his mouth. As long as he stayed comatose until I healed up, all of my worried would be gone and Sam would be happy. That's all that mattered to me. As long as she was happy and well, I'd do just about anything. No, I would do anything. 

Still, something continued to bug me, and I knew it would continue to bug me until I had an answer.

Who was the girl in the morgue?


	8. Grunkle Ford

For a week, I stayed with Sam, never stepping foot outside her house in the fear of being seen by my family. That was the last thing I'd wanted after what I'd done. Sam, however, would leave during the day for work and return in the evening with news about my Grunkle's condition. The good news was that he was still comatose. The bad news was that I still had to kill him. It wasn't really an option at that point. Death was the only outcome awaiting my great uncle.

"Dipper, I'm home!" Sam called as she entered, and I immediately shut off the laptop before she could see what I'd been looking at.

Whenever Sam was away, I would spend time on her laptop looking up anything new about the girl in the morgue. Sadly, there were still no leads as to who she was and who had killed her. However, the blanks were making people in town anxious since there was a killer on the loose, and no one knew when he would strike again - or who. It was chaos in Gravity Falls.

"Hey, how was work?" I asked as Sam walked into the parlor. With a sigh, she shoved her laptop aside before sinking down onto my lap and giving me a quick kiss.

"Today was exhausting." She groaned, pressing herself against me. "We finally let those stupid reporters into the building in order for an official release of what we know so far, and those assholes don't know how to keep together. It was driving me crazy how much they strayed from the group to go snoop somewhere else. I'm more than certain they wanted an exclusive shot of the corpse. Good thing it's already been packaged up and locked in the freezer." She definitely had a way with words.

"That sounds tough. What do you even work as there?" I questioned, looking over her uniform and admiring the way her scrubs emphasized her waist and thighs.

"My eyes are up here, Romeo." Sam grumbled, grabbing my face and making me look at her. "That's better." 

"Well, they're both very nice views. Hard to tell which is better, to be honest." I teased, and she smacked my arm for that comment.

"I work as a Medical Assistant. Though my skills would come to better use in a hospital, I found that the mortician here actually didn't mind having someone to help him, which was great for me." She said. "What about you? I know you're a writer and a scientist, but you don't seem to be writing much lately." She noted as she glanced at her laptop.

"Yea, I just haven't found the proper motivater." I admitted.

"Do I motivate you?" _To kill, maybe._

"Of course, but I need something more fluid in order to write my next book. It's kind of hard to explain." I told her, and she frowned. 

"Well, I'm going to head to the room and change." She announced as she got off of me. "Also, your sister Mabel is putting signs all over the town of you. People are starting to suspect that the murderer has you. Ironic, isn't it?" She added before exiting, and I clenched my fists.

_Ironic, indeed._

I knew my family would begin their search for me soon enough, especially Mabel. In all honesty, I was hoping they'd forget about me. I was hoping they would pretend I never existed. I knew it was a foolish hope, but that didn't stop me from dreaming that they would forget me. It was all I wanted from them. I wanted my memory to be erased from their minds. I wanted them to go on living as if I was never alive. 

More than anything, I wanted to go to them and assure them that I was fine. I wanted to tell them that it was best to forget about me. I wanted to warn them that staying close to me would be dangerous. I was worried about them and Sam. I was worried about Bill trying to influence my actions once again and taking another life. His next target could be Sam, for real this time. I wasn't ready for that. I couldn't lose her, no matter what.

"Her fate's been sealed from the moment you desired her." Bill spoke from beside me, and I frowned, refusing to acknowledge him. "Oh, are you ignoring me? I'm pretty sure you've attempted this before, but that didn't end well last time, did it? C'mon, Pine Tree, it's no fun to torment you unless you look tormented." He teased as I opened up the laptop. Just as I was about to google, "missing people in Gravity Falls," Bill slammed the computer shut and invited himself into my personal space, his face only inches from mine. Once again, my heart hammered in my chest and ached to reach for him, to touch him, to kiss him. 

We said nothing. I merely stared into his golden eyes in the hopes that it seemed like I was looking through him rather than at him. I was trying hard to pretend he was invisible, but it was incredibly difficult as I found myself looking into his eyes.

"'He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster.'" Bill began, and I stiffened as his words sunk in. They were familiar, and too fitting for the moment. After all, the next part was, "'And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.'" I melted into his gaze, slowly losing my composure and my fight to ignore him.

"Why are you quoting _Beyond Good and Evil_ by Friedrich Nietzsche?" I questioned him, and he smirked. "Shit."

_I acknowledged him._  

"Because you are looking into an abyss." He answered. I hated knowing he was right, but that didn't stop me from staring into his eyes. It was hard to look away. After all, he was right in front of me, within my reach. It felt like a sin to want to look anywhere else. "'the abyss also gazes into you.'" He repeated, and I swallowed, feeling incredibly uncomfortable under his sharp gaze. 

"Quoting a philosopher is so unlike you, Bill." I commented as he inched closer to me.

"And not resisting is unlike you, Pine Tree." He chimed. Hell, he smelled amazing. Is it possible to hallucinate scents? I'm sure it is. Unable to bear it any longer, I moved forward and closed the gap between us. Just as our lips made contact, he vanished, and the pain in my chest grew at his absence. That wasn't fair. He couldn't just disappear like that, could he? It wasn't right!

Groaning, I rose from my spot on the couch and made my way to the room. There, I found Sam sitting on the bed in only her underwear and bra with a book in her hands and headphones playing so loudly that I could hear the music from where I stood at the door. I took a moment to admire the view, and frowned when I realized that it wasn't turning me on the way looking at Bill did.

Probably feeling eyes on her, Sam looked up from her book and graced me with a gentle smile. Had she always been so beautiful? Yes, she was beautiful. But attractive, no. I couldn't find myself to be sexually attracted to her, even if we'd had sex more than once during the week that I was staying with her. The sex was good, but there were times when I imagined it being with someone else - _Bill fucking Cipher_. That was when the guilt started settling in. There was no way I could ever deny Sam anything she wanted when I couldn't even love her properly. I wasn't being loyal to her, and I hated it because she deserved the best.

Everything was because of that wretched demon. He was to blame for my sudden change in sexual preference, and I knew it was his fault because he practically admitted to it. That abomination was the cause of much suffering and the death of an innocent girl, whose identity was still unknown. There was no way I was going to let him have his way with anymore people, especially people I cared about. I refused to let him take control of me ever again.

"Dipper, are you feeling okay?" Sam asked, and I flinched when I realized she was in front of me. When did she move? How did I not notice? Was I that spaced out? 

"Y-yea. I'm feeling fine." I stammered, stuffing my sweaty palms in my jean pockets.

"Are you feeling nervous?" She asked, gently carassing my cheek. 

"No, definitely not. I can never feel anything but happiness when I'm with you." I told her, and she smiled up at me. Suddenly, I felt myself drowning in her eyes. 

"Today. We'll do it today." She instructed. There was no arguing with her.

"For you, anything." I answered, and she leaned in to capture my lips. How did one woman have so much power over me? Was it the guilt I carried from when I assumed she was dead? Or was it the inevitable fear that she could be Bill's next victim? I wasn't too sure, to be honest.

"We should get ready for tonight. I have connections at the hospital since I work in the morgue, so I have the access key to get us in there after hours. Sadly, I don't know exactly how to get around from where we're starting, but I'm sure we can figure it out with a little wandering." She explained, and I smirked.

"We don't have to do that. After all, I've memorized the hospital's layout when I first came to Gravity Falls. I did that with a lot of the major buildings in case of anything." I informed her. "I know every in and out of that place, every turn and every dead end. I know all of it."

"I hope you know how sexy that is. How did I ever get so lucky?" She purred, snaking her arms around my neck as she pulled me closer and into a kiss. Sam deserved better than me, but I wasn't about to leave her side anytime soon. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her if I left. Staying close, I could watch her, make sure she was safe at all times. Her safety was all that mattered to me. "You. Bed. _Now_." Sam ordered, and I began removing my shirt as I made my way to the bed with her close behind. As I lay on my back, Sam undid my jeans and pulled them down to my ankles along with my boxers. Smirking, she unclipped her own bra and tossed it aside before beginning her climb over me.

The rest is self explanatory.

 

Groaning, I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes as I woke up with Sam nestled up closely against my side, still lost in her dreams. Careful not to wake her, I moved slow as I pulled my arm out from under her and got up from the bed. What time was it? Moving to the window, I pulled apart the curtains and frowned at the darkness that greeted me.

Night had fallen.

When Sam woke up, we would be leaving for the hospital to commit a grave sin. We would kill my great uncle Stanford Pines. No, _I_ would kill him, not her. I was the one who was going to be holding the knife.

Walking out of the room, I made my way into the kitchen and started up the coffee maker. I had to be wide awake for what I was going to do. Though there was no way I could even consider sleep with murder on my mind, I still decided coffee was a good precautionary measure.

"You look good, Pine Tree." Bill sneered from behind me, and I frowned down at the coffee maker as I remembered that I'd forgotten to put my clothes back on.

"Yea, I'm sure it's a nice view or whatever." I grumbled. "Go away, Bill. I don't have time for your shit right now." I requested, but my words fell on deaf ears as he wrapped his arms around my bare waste, slow and sexual. I bit back a moan as he pressed his body against mine. A wave of intense heat coursed through me, but the real burning came from where his body met mine. Gripping the counter, I bit into my lower lip as his right hand glided down my abs and toward my crotch.

"You tried to kiss me, and then you immediately went to fuck someone else. Tell me, Pine Tree, which one of us is the real demon here?" He hissed into my ear as his hand found its target. His grip was tight and slightly painful, yet it felt so much better than when Sam had touched me earlier.

"You're the _only_ demon around here, Bill." I retorted, and he let out a menacing chuckle as he began moving his hand up and down my length.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked, whispering the question into my ear as small pants began to escape my lips from the friction his hand was creating. His breath was hot against my neck; his voice was thick with malice and temptation. I could melt into his body from the amount of heat I could feel coming off of him. I wanted him, and he knew it too. Just as I was about to climax, a small, female voice called out from the bedroom, "Dipper!" Upon hearing Sam's voice, Bill vanished, leaving me hot and unfinished. I mentally cursed Sam in my head for intruding, and then cursed myself with guilt once I realized what I'd done.

"I'm in the kitchen!" I shouted. "Do you want some coffee?" I offered while trying to focus on something else to ease my very prominent boner. It would have been awkward as Hell if Sam walked out and saw me in the state I was in.

Once I was done brewing the two coffees, I fixed them up and personally delivered Sam's to her in bed. She was still laying down, outstretched and naked, looking very comfortable. With a satisfied smirk, she took the coffee cup from me as she sat up, her eyes never leaving mine.

"Feel good, baby?" She asked, eyes wandering down to my crotch.

"Very good." I answered, and it definitely wasn't a lie. Sex with her was amazing, and then I had the added bonus of being pleased by Bill. Sadly, I never finished with him, but it was still a nice experience - though, I would never admit that. Even if I technically just did, but also didn't. I'm going to shut up now.

"I'm so glad I can make you feel good." Sam giggled. Smiling, I took my place beside her on the bed as we both drank our coffees. Silence enveloped the room as we enjoyed simply being side-by-side with one another. Sam and I understood each other on a level that I'd never shared with anyone else, even my own sister. She was a kindred spirit, probably the last of her kind, which was one of the many things that made her precious.

As soon as we were done drinking our coffee, the two of us jumped into action and began getting ready to put our plan into action. Sam dressed in a clean pair of scrubs, tying her hair up into a tight bun and trying to look as professional as possible. I did the same, slipping on a lab coat and clipping a fake badge to my chest pocket.

_Dr. Mason Pines, M.D._

 

It didn't take the two of us long to finish our preparations. Once we were done, we made our way to the hospital and entered through the back entrance that Sam's connection had given her the key for. Inside, we walked through the halls with ease, no one paying us much attention because of how well we blended in. Over the years, I'd gotten to know some of the staff in the emergency room because of how many time I visited the hospital, but I'd never met anyone in any of the other wards. I had to count myself lucky for that.

"You look really sexy, Dr. Pines." Sam purred, pulling me from my train of thought, and I smirked at her.

"So do you, nurse." I responded, and I could tell she was biting back a giggle. Straightening up, I followed Sam down the hallway and into the room with a single digit number on the door: 3. How ironic, really. It was almost poetic - romantic, even. And somehow, it helped further my resolve. "Sam, can you maybe stand watch outside? I'd like to do this alone." I requested, and she gave me a small kiss on the cheek before complying.

Sam uttered no complaints as she exited the room and slowly closed the door behind her. Sadly, when she was gone, the demon of all demons made his appearance. I could feel him lurking in the corner of the room, watching my every move with amusement.

Ignoring the monster, I moved toward my grunkle and stared down at his comatose face. He was pale, ghostly, and the harsh hospital lighting wasn't helping. The only real color on him came from the deep, purple bruising over his face and down his neck toward his collar bone. His head had been shaved and revealed a gruesome scar, still red and swollen from when I bashed his head open.

I did that. I beat my great uncle so bad that he had to be hospitalized. He was stuck to a bunch of machines in order to keep breathing, to keep his heart beating. I'd imprisoned him in his own mind, which was sure to be a nightmare realm from all he lived through.

Feeling my chest tighten and my breathing get heavier, I backed away from the hospital bed and moved slowly toward the door. I didn't make it far before I hit a male chest, arms snaking their way around my waist and holding me still.

"And where the fuck do you think you're going, Pine Tree? You have to clean up the mess you made, don't you? Kill him. _Kill Stanford Pines_." The demon sneered into my ear as I began to hyperventilate. "This isn't the time for you to start acting like a little bitch. You killed me once, remember? How is that so different from killing him? Murder is murder, Pine Tree. Once you take one life, it's never difficult to take another. Besides, isn't that all you've been doing all these years in Gravity Falls: slaughtering supernatural creatures? You've been killing off all of the monsters who've come to this town since Weirdmageddon. You're a natural born killer." He continued, tightening his grip on me.

Sadly, his words only made the whole situation worse. Why? Because he was right. I'd sullied my hands in the blood of monsters. I'd returned home covered in purple or blue ooze. Though it was a different color, blood was still blood. I'd killed on several occasions. My targets may have never been human, but they did have something in common with then: _they were all alive_.

I had robbed them of that. I'd ended their existence simply because they weren't natural, weren't human. We fear what we don't understand. It's that same fear that would become our undoing. I'd never realized that until that moment when I was staring at the gates of death before me, gates that I was meant to open and send another through. I was a killer, just as Bill said.

"Cowardice doesn't suit you, Pine Tree." The demon sneered, and I shot him a glare.

"Who's the girl in the morgue, Bill?" I questioned him, and Bill recoiled slightly before smirking.

"Changing the subject isn't-."

"I'm not changing the subject!" I shouted, interrupting him. "That girl in the morgue was human, and her blood is on my hands. You were smart, pulling out her teeth and ruining her fingerprints, but you can't deny _me_ the right to know who she is. Who did I kill? What fucking human was it that I murdered with my bare hands?" I asked, trying hard to seem threatening. It was difficult since he was taller than me and far more dominating.

"Someone you know, but not someone you're close to. Someone who's been around since you first came to Gravity Falls. She was a part of an inner circle of a different type of chaos." He explained, not really answering my question, but looking incredibly intrigued.

"I don't want you beating around the bush. I want a straight answer. You owe me that." I argued, and something in Bill's eyes changed. He'd suddenly become a thousand times more menacing, and his face had twisted into a cruel expression of disgust. He loomed closer to me, towering over my small stature and casting a shadow over me.

" _I owe you_?" He growled, and I staggered away from him in terror. "You fucking nearly killed me, and I owe you? The only reason your pathetic ass is still alive is because I'm allowing you to live. I told you before, Pine Tree. I'm holding back all the damage done to your body. I'm being incredible fucking generous if you ask me, yet you think I owe you? You've got some nerve, kid. If I wanted it, you'd be dead. So no, Pine Tree, I do _not_ owe you. It's _you_ that owes _me_." He snarled, reminding me of what I'd long forgotten: I was no match for Bill Cypher. He was a demon from another dimension, and I was a powerless human trying hard to play vigilante.

Just as I was about to tuck my tail between my legs and run, a sharp pain stabbed into my rib cage and punctured my lungs. Crumbling onto the floor, I grasped at my aching side as I struggled to catch my breath, blood spilling out from between my lips. The pain I felt in that moment was crippling, and it was hard for me to keep focus as my vision blurred together into darkness.

And then the pain was gone. Before I could fade into the black of my subconscious, I was okay again. Stunned, I looked up and froze when I found Bill's face only inches away from mine. Unlike last time, however, I wanted to run rather than kiss him.

"I'm the master of this game, Pine Tree. I'm the referee and the answer to every question. I make the fucking rules, you stupid piece of shit. So the next time you feel like playing the hero, remember the pain I put you in and know that it's nothing compared to what I'm really holding back." He warned me, his eye glowing gold and burning into my memory. 

I could do nothing, say nothing. Instead, I grinded my teeth together and pushed myself up onto my feet. Once again, I was consumed with undeniable rage. 

There was only one person to take my bloodlust out on: my grunkle Ford.

Drawing a syringe from my coat pocket, I moved toward the bed and stared down at Ford's face as I gently stroked the cord of his IV. He looked so peaceful in his coma, as if some of the weight he carried had been lifted from his shoulders. To me, it was proof that death was the only pure escape from the tortures of life. I was giving Ford a great mercy by ending his life. I was ending his suffering of everything life had given him. He had been dealt a bad hand for far too long. The return of Bill Cypher was further proof of that. It was time for Ford to pass on the baton. Gravity Falls was my problem.

"Goodnight, grunkle Ford." I whispered as I inserted the needle into his IV, releasing the poisonous concoction that I'd prepared especially for him.

Behind me, I could feel the demon known as Bill breathing down my neck and looming over me, watching me as I killed a member of my family. The laugh that escaped Bill's lips was chilling, and I knew it would haunt me until the day I died.

"That's a good boy, Pine Tree." Bill cooed into my ear as my uncle's blood pressure began its descent. Sliding the needle into my pocket, I slammed my hand onto the Code Blue alarm, signaling his downward spiral into death. Nurses and doctors rushed into the room with a crash cart. In the chaos, I made my escape.

**Stanford Pines was dead.**

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Gravity Falls" or its characters.
> 
> Also, this is definitely NOT a kid's show. What the freak, Disney?!


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